Strange Affliction
by Iuvenalis
Summary: Determined to support Kamatari in his visit back home, Kaoru is ambushed by his elder brother hitokiri of the business world, Kenshin Himura. In a bid to help, Kaoru finds herself embroiled in the Himura family dramas, drawn by unexpected emotions...
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Rurouni Kenshin :-)

**Strange Affliction**

**Chapter 1 – Unfavourably Favourable**

It's not as if this day had begun in a way which was different from the day before or the day before that. It did seem however, as if Kamatari was calling all his favours. And when he called them, in it was as if the whole world was on hiatus so that he could have what he wanted. Then again he had saved her from that strange man with the plastic flower quoting lines from 'black books'. And when she thought about it a little bit longer, he'd helped her when she had needed it the most, so she guessed it was time to pay him back for his prior acts of kindness.

'What you're asking for Kamatari means I have to spend 6 whole weeks with you and your family.'

'Yes. And you owe it to me.'

'What about my boyfriend? What will he say when he calls and I have to tell him I'm going off to the English countryside with my "friend"' stated Kaoru mimicking the quotation marks, after which she neatly folded her arms.

'You have a boyfriend?' returned Kamatari sceptically.

'Technically.'

Kamatari raised an eyebrow and gave her "The Look".

'The technical ground's of it's not being true,' she admitted.

'6 weeks and all favours even, Kaoru. Please. And you know I never say Please.'

'Fine. I'll play the role of pretending to be your beloved to perfection,' she grinned cattily. In hindsight Kaoru knew it wouldn't be hard to play the part. She did love Kamatari but it wasn't the same emotion one had for a lover, but the type of bond which could be tested numerous times, never to be broken.

Living and in some instances working with Kamatari was a new experience everyday, but she knew that she would never trade in what she did. As a highly sought after bridal wear designer, Kaoru sometimes worked with Kamatari on photo shoots or at exclusive weddings. An experienced photographer such as Kamatari knew how to capture the beauty of each event in a moment. Kaoru had no trouble at all in admitting that Kamatari was an extremely talented individual, his confidence regarding his position within his family however, left much to be desired. She wondered how they failed to see that he clearly didn't like to date women at all. Kaoru knew she would have no problems acting her part as the besotted beauty, she knew practically everything about, his life, his work and most importantly his family…

'_Yahiko is a cousin of mine whose parents passed away. He lives at the manor under our care. Tsubame is not related to me by blood but she has been pseudo adopted by our family as well. We kind of just found her. Then there's Ayame and Suzume, my little nieces. Ayame's mother is Tae and Suzume's Mother is Sae. Megumi is another cousin who is apparently dating some great hulk who we'll meet on the trip. There's my sister Misao, who has this major love thing for Aoshi. I can't really explain her…you have to experience it yourself Kaoru love. And lastly there's Kenshin.'_

Oh she had heard of Kenshin. The shrewd businessman with a distant aura insular personality and somewhat latent charm, women liked him but he didn't give them much time, only attending affairs he needed to and never more. Apparently he was the watcher, keeping a close eye on all family affairs, stepping in at just the right moment.

'_Without him, I'm sure we would all fall to pieces…he just seems to know how to keep the ball rolling. When any of us are in trouble he's the one we go to.'_

She had seen pictures of him in newspapers before…the large cross marring his cheek had been entrancing. She wondered why it was there.

* * *

She watched patiently in amusement as Kamatari eyed the pairs of clothing she had lain out on her bed for inspection. Humming to himself he touched her clothes now and then talking to himself, and occasionally nodded in agreement with something he'd said under his breath. She had arranged her wardrobe, which reflected what she knew his family would expect her to wear, mixed with what she liked to wear. This mainly consisted of elegant pieces which were suitable if one was always attending a family picnic crossed with an afternoon soiree. 

'Mmm I can see you've picked out all your more sedate yet timeless pieces. You really have my family's tastes in mind don't you' he seemed oddly staid.

'Well I don't want them to think I'm some hobo wearing Boho. I do want them to think I care for you, love you and appreciate you for the wonderful person that you are. And they have to know I'm all about being independent and supporting you. So this strikes the right cord doesn't it?'

'Yes it does, but put in some other nice, weird pieces which are your style…colourful darling, is what you are' he said winking before leaving her to pack her things.

Kaoru was under no illusions as to what type of family Kamatari came from. They were old money, affluent and deeply traditional with strong family ties. She understood why he was finding it difficult to admit to his family the truth about his sexuality. In fact she was finding it difficult to believe that the great Kenshin who had been repeatedly described as an extremely perceptive individual would have missed Kamatari's quite blatant choices. He was either completely oblivious or entirely aware, and Kaoru suspected it was the latter. She decided that the least amount of contact with him would be best during her stay, if only that was the case.

Kaoru stood in front of her mirror and deliberated over her only pair of good clothes which were not packed away in her round suitcase. It consisted of a green metallic silk sleeveless top with a gathered neckline, dark blue jeans and green and cream crocodile skin RMK stiletto's with a silver heel. Her hair was in a high ponytail and her long green beaded chandelier earrings swung lightly near her bare neck. Her earrings and necklace rule was this: in the daytime extravagant earrings meant no necklace. A simple necklace meant matching simple earrings. As far she was concerned this rule was to be abided by under all daytime outfits. Her little cream jacket completed the simple yet elegant look which she had been hoping to achieve.

'Oh you do look fine Miss Kaoru!' commented Kamatari in a heavy English aristocratic tone.

'Why thank you my dear friend! And may I say that you look quite smart on this fine morn as well,' she returned in her best plummy English accent. Despite his sunny front, Kamatari was quelling on the inside. His stomach was turning and Kaoru knew it.

'It will be fine Kamatari. Seriously. Have you ever thought that maybe they'll be cool with it when you tell them?'

'Of course. But that would be expecting too much love.'

'Sometimes I think that you have severely misjudged the way they'll react. Especially when you talk about how much they always support one another, and I'm sure they'd support you as well.'

'We'll see Kaoru, we'll see.'

* * *

The drive up was quiet, way too quiet. Too preoccupied with his own thoughts Kamatari didn't even notice when Kaoru kept glancing at him. His stony profile was distinctly unlike Kamatari at all. His nervous and weary aura was slowly seeping into Kaoru as she began feeling the pressure of what could happen, after all _6 weeks was a long time_. 

Sighing she placed her hand on Kamatari's.

'Stop. Worrying after the fact is not going to help anyone.' She murmured quietly. Slipping on her sunglasses she turned and faced him with a mischievous grin on her face 'We'll just show them how fabulous we are.'

'We're here,' he announced in a simultaneously happy yet forlorn tone.

'Mmm and if you keep up that attitude they'll spot it from a mile away Kamatari,' she replied as she forward to gain a better view of the clearly gargantuan mansion sprawling across the English countryside. It was very old England with balustrades and a fountain. A fountain for heavens sake! It was so big you could have bathed all of India from the water in it. Yet there it was delicately littered with statues of half naked mermaids. Rolling her eyes, the car came to a halt which prompted her to get out.

'I'll get the suitcases!' announced Kamatari as soon as he had alighted from the car. She recognised it as a mild form of procrastination but let it go.

Spying them from the apple tree around the side of the house, Yahiko was first to greet them.

'Hey Kamatari. Who's the Ugly?' he asked in a low whisper which Kaoru heard but chose to ignore for several reasons. I mean she didn't want to go to jail for severely beating a 14 year old did she?

'You're not so hot yourself Yahiko-chan' commented Kamatari.

'Don't call me chan!'

'Whatever,' shrugged Kamatari carelessly, 'This is Kaoru, Kamiya Kaoru, and she's going to be staying with us for the holidays,' he continued a light warning in his tone.

Kaoru watched the exchange and waited as Yahiko's eyes started at her feet and travelled up inch by inch until his eyes met hers. His thoughtful look became a glare.

'Didn't anyone ever tell you it's rude to stare Busu.'

_Must not beat child, _chanted Kaoru faithfully in her head wondering whether the kid realised how hypocritical he was being. Turning smartly on her heel she walked calmly towards the house, Kamatari following dutifully with their luggage.

The entrance to the house was two large heavy wooden doors which opened inwards. They were engraved with some sort of leafy epitaph which she didn't bother stopping to really admire after all she had plenty of time to do that later.

The front doors opened into a large sparsely furnished circular wooden room. The open doors on the other side displayed a staircase which probably led to the second level where all the bedrooms were. Though she had yet to see it entirely, Kaoru liked the layout a lot. The house was large enough to separate the living quarters from the general everyday area.

'Kamatari!' screamed an entirely too excited voice before Kaoru only just managed to catch a small black object hurtling towards them before skidding to halt in front of her. It turned out that the object was a very small framed woman. The woman stood in font of them her mouth hanging open in surprise before Yahiko spoke candidly.

'Busu's with Kamatari.'

Grinding her teeth in irritation, Kaoru stepped forward holding out her hand in greeting to the other girl 'Hi, I'm Kaoru'

'OH MY GOD. She's so pretty Kamatari! Where did you find her? What does she do? Does she like soccer? Cos you know what's gonna happen if she doesn't! Does she play? Like play sports? Like play the Play Station? Alternatively play cards? Cos I'm cool with whatever! You know me I'm cool central!' Kaoru watched as she babbled on and on in that high pitched tone.

'Misao, have you had any sugar lately?' asked Kamatari nicely

'Sugar is nummy.'

'Yes but…never mind, this is Kaoru – she's my girlfriend,' he explained placing his hand on her shoulder.

'But…okay…cool cool.'

Nodding and exhaling slowly he looked around, 'Where is everyone Misao?'

'Out back,' replied the hyper weasel quickly.

'Alright, I'm going to show Kaoru where we'll be staying and we'll meet you on the back veranda in five minutes.' Leaning forward he whispered, 'And take Yahiko with you.'

The room they were sharing was apparently the same size as her whole apartment. She'd seen pride and prejudice and all that which seemed displayed huge rooms with énsuite and matching curtains, but this truly surpassed her expectations. The bed was Victorian style with four posts and an overhanging cream silk outlay.

'Damn Kamatari, I knew your family was old money, but seriously…this is old!'

She commented before running and jumping on the huge bed like she'd wanted to from the very first moment she'd seen it.

* * *

Although most people in these circumstances would have felt distinctly uneasy, Kaoru felt a mild sense of discomfort before she eased into her surroundings. Kamatari knew that Kaoru's sense of self worth would prevail in any situation. If anyone could stand up to Kenshin it was her. 

Kaoru slouched over the bar in the entertainment room while watching Misao play Tekken on her Playstation 3. It was clear that the girl was suffering from a mild form of Attention Deficit Disorder or she was simply hyperactive. Sipping her vodka lemon and lime at 3 in the afternoon was Kaoru's idea of good day. Tsubame had come out of her brief shy spell to have a small conversation with her before returning to wherever it was she had come from, and in this house it could have been anywhere. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Kamatari approached her with a strange look on his face.

'Kaoru Honey, we're going to have to go to a party tonight.'

'I bought lots of clothes so stress less Kamatari.'

'Thank God I brought you with me,' he trailed off before downing the remainder of her drink.

As they walked back to their room together, Kamatari informed her of what the party was all about.

'This girl, her name's Tomoe, she's engaged to this new guy and so she's holding a small engagement party to celebrate with family and very close friends. The thing is that she and Kenshin used to date and there's still a bit of tension.'

'I thought that your brother wasn't the tension type,' she murmured

'The tension isn't from his end, it's all her. She broke up with Kenshin and he knows why but for some reason it was almost as if she didn't want to do it.'

'Okay so you mean she did it to kind of threaten him into giving their relationship more meaning but ended up leaving him altogether and regretting it?'

'Something like that.'

'Great! Past relationship tensions - I can handle that!' she responded sarcastically.

'Rome wasn't built in a day love.'

'What? That doesn't make sense at all.'

'Oh whatever, I was trying to be poetic and you ruined it with your smartness.'

'I don't understand how you've come so far in your life, I really don't,' remarked Kaoru shaking her head solemnly.

'Yes well we both have to look absolutely fabulous tonight.'

'I always look fabulous thank you very much.'

'And I know I said that you would probably get 3-4 days with my family before Kenshin comes along but he will most likely be there tonight,' he stated.

'Okeydoke, you know that if I can handle a bride and her mother on the same day, then a can deal with him too.'

'I know, I'm just saying is all.'

'You know what? With all the hype you've been giving about your big brother, I'll bet he's just one big teddy bear! Grumpy and cuddly,' she grinned

Kamatari immediately stopped what he was doing and turned to observe Kaoru, like a doctor observed his mental patients when they did something strange.

Shaking his head sagely he simply stared at her before continuing to rifle through his own clothes.

After very little deliberation, Kaoru decided that the party wasn't going to be too upscale and therefore her outfit would have to be cocktail style instead of completely formal.

She opted for a buttercup yellow silk dress, with a very simple cut. Sleeveless, it had a v neck and the material hugged her hips before the skirt fell in folds around her knees. She slipped on a pair of her newest yellow Tony Bianco Eluera design stilettos which matched her outfit perfectly. She decided to put her hair up in a small twist leaving her fringe sweeping across her forehead and tucked neatly behind her right ear. All in all with a little makeup she felt she had hit the right tone for evening.

Kamatari ended up wearing a casual suit with a collarless shirt in a deep green colour and it was decidedly unlike him to wear such bland clothing. Kaoru's thoughts were interrupted by Misao who came flying through their bedroom door.

'Kaoru!' she cried out urgently.

'Misao!' Kaoru responded feeling the moment and matching her in a similar tone.

'Don't make fun,' pouted Misao.

'What's up?' she asked grinning widely at the younger girls overt nature.

'How do I look?' she asked before turning in a circle and clasping her hands expectantly.

'You look lovely Misao.'

'Just LOVELY? I need to look…sexy,' she whispered after a small pause.

'Well you do look that too,' which Kaoru found hard to dispute considering her outfit. Misao wore a black dress which looked simple from the front but was entirely backless with a slinky skirt.

'Trust me, it's a very sexy dress and you look sexy in it.'

'Of course you do honey,' chimed in Kamatari who had come to stand next to Kaoru in observing Misao's outfit.

After reassuring her several times that she did indeed look sexy Kaoru and Kamatari ventured downstairs to find Yahiko standing next to Tsubame with a slack jawed look on his face. Kaoru recognised it, and identified it as the same one a Groom had when he saw his Bride walking down the aisle. The boy was clearly lovesick and doing a terrible job of hiding it. Tae and Sae had decided to stay back and look after the girls while everyone else went. After all they could go to the official engagement party whenever that was going to be.

'Kaoru and I will be travelling down in our car, so we have room for 2 more,' stated Kamatari in a tone which implied that although there were 2 spaces he didn't want anyone to take up the offer.

'Nah it's alright Kam, Tsubame and Yahiko are coming with me.'

'WHAT?' yelled Yahiko before realising that Tsubame was standing next to him.

'I don't wanna die weasel! If that were the case I would have thrown myself of a cliff years ago,' he muttered in a low tone so only Misao could hear.

Misao however was in a good mood for some reason and chose to ignore the comment. Picking up her keys she headed towards the door connected to the Garage. Taking that as a cue Kaoru followed Misao into the large 8 car garage where she spied her and Kamatari's car and strode over to stand next to it.

The drive over was considerably quick and Kaoru loved the distinctly country scenery. Although she couldn't live here 24/7 she knew that every now and then she'd make a trip down to get away from the city stress.

Tomoe's house turned out to be another mansion, and although it didn't have a fountain it carried its own aura. The lights outside displayed the house beautifully against the evening country sky.

As they walked slowly up to the entrance which had been left wide open, Kamatari grabbed Kaoru's hand squeezing in lightly. Moving closer to Kamatari, she hugged his arm before looping them together and greeting the butler who stood at the entrance greeting each guest.

'Young Master Kamatari, How do you do this evening?'

'I'm well Jenkins, and yourself?'

'Quite well sir, and who might your companion be?'

'This is my girlfriend Kaoru Kamiya. Kaoru this is Jenkins the Yukishiro household's inestimable Butler.'

'It's lovely to meet you,' she responded politely.

'I'll introduce you sir,' turning towards the closed doors held it open and announced in a clear even tone, 'Mr. Kamatari Himura and his partner Miss Kaoru Kamiya.'

At the end of the butler's little introduction Kamatari and Kaoru strode into the large room.

Kaoru immediately sighted Tsubame, Yahiko and Misao standing and talking to a tall beautiful woman.

Kamatari guiding her, made a beeline for the little group. Upon their arrival the unknown woman turned, her eyes lighting up with pleasure.

'Kamatari! What a surprise!'

'Tomoe, of course I'd come down to celebrate the good news with you,' he returned jovially.

'You were already down before you knew about it,' claimed Yahiko before he received death glares from all quarters. Kaoru wondered whether the kid could actually keep his mouth shut for once.

'Congratulations! Let me introduce to someone – Tomoe this is Kaoru, my girlfriend,' he stated emphatically as if Kaoru's actual presence wasn't enough to really convince the girl.

Tomoe turned her doe eyes upon Kaoru and studied her before murmuring a polite reply.

'It's lovely to meet you Kaoru.'

'Thank you, and congratulations on your engagement, I wish you every happiness in the world.'

'Oh thank you,' replied Tomoe before smiling.

So this was Tomoe. She seemed like the type that Kenshin would date. She was elegant, sophisticated, and basically looked like a model. She stood quietly and sipped her wine and listened to Tomoe talk to Kamatari. Her tones were low, even and cultured. During the conversation however, Tomoe's face stilled in surprise as she looked over Kaoru's shoulder at something which had caught her attention. Kaoru wondered what had caused the elegant woman to pause when she heard Jenkins imperious tone announce a new arrival.

'Master Kenshin Himura.'

Kaoru heard Kamatari lightly humming the Jaws theme under his breath before raising his eyebrows and quickly gulping down his drink. Kaoru moved off to the side and sidled away before Kenshin could reach their little group. As she edged herself onto a stool at the very end of the bar she watched as Kenshin Himura spoke to Tomoe and Kamatari. She saw Kamatari point in her direction before talking earnestly. It was a sin for a man to have better hair than a woman; Kaoru didn't understand it at all. His lithe form was clothed in a tailored black suit, and grey shirt which lined his body to perfection. And there was his scar on his left cheek.

Her musings were suddenly interrupted as her eyes clashed with his. He had been watching her, and only god knows how long. Lifting an eyebrow she watched him over the rim of her martini and sipped delicately without looking away. If he thought he could scare her with one look then he had another thing coming. Rolling her eyes she turned towards the barman and ordered another Martini before realising that she had only been there for half an hour and she had already consumed 3 standard drinks. Thank God she wasn't driving tonight.

Feeling a presence at her back she smiled and closed her eyes as a hand touched the nape of her neck.

'Kamatari, you're going to have to help me get into bed tonight, I've already had way too much to drink,' she sighed rolling her neck.

'I would gladly help you into bed,' rumbled a deep low tone which had her spine tingling. Kaoru froze and instantly recognised the voice. Kenshin Himura. Did she have no luck?

Rolling her head back she studied his face which was only inches from hers. _No fear Kaoru,_ _No Fear._

'As much as I would love you to put me to bed,' she smiled mischievously 'Your name isn't Kamatari, its Kenshin. Say it slowly after me, 'KENSHIN,' she repeated sounding out the word for him as if he was too stupid to know. He said nothing and continued to stare at her face.

'Oh I know I'm very beautiful but really you're making me blush,' she faked fanning her face and made to move of the stool.

'You're not what I expected.'

'And you Mister Himura are everything I expected,' she calmly placed a hand on his chest to push him away before continuing. 'I'm going to find Kamatari, have you seen him?'

'He's your boyfriend.'

'And he's your brother, what's your point?'

'Kenshin! How's everything going with business these days?' butted in some other constituent at the party, completely oblivious to Kaoru.

Kaoru could hear Kenshins low even tones in response to the question as she used it to escape away from the bar to search for Misao or Kamatari. She hadn't expected him to be so full on from the very first moment. Then again who was she kidding, Kamatari had told her what he was like hadn't he? It was a pity she found him attractive, if she didn't she would have found it so much easier to bat him away like an annoying fly. Even more strange was that she had actually enjoyed their little biting conversation….it was refreshing to see him slightly off balance even if his face hadn't shown his surprise she knew he had been.

'I've got the whole world in my hands, I've got the whole world in my hands, I've got the whole world in my hands,' she sang quietly to herself as she searched for Kamatari and slipped around the people standing and chatting. She found Misao and for the first time since she had met her, she wasn't speaking only gazing adoringly into the face of a tall man standing a few metres away from her. She took a guess and hazarded that the tall unresponsive man was probably Aoshi, Misao's 'love thing'. She approached Misao and stood next to her before Misao sighed and looked sadly into the glass in her hand.

'He'll never see me the way I want him to,' she admitted quietly.

'Well not if you stand here sighing all night,' she was being a bit candid, and she blamed on the excessive consumption of alcohol in a very short period of time.

'He thinks I'm too immature, which in heaps of ways I am…But in heaps ways I'm really mature as well!'

'Then show him Misao,' she responded lightly before spying Kamatari heading out the doors onto a balcony which led to the garden outside. Kaoru excused herself from the girl before quickly following Kamatari outside. She found him sitting at the bottom of the garden on a sandstone loveseat designed for two.

'Kam, what's up with you?'

'Kaoru? I saw you meet Kenshin…what did you think? Not so teddy bear after all?'

'Yeah not so teddy bear, but I bet there are still plenty of women who want to hug him,' she joked. 'I survived the first encounter unscathed if that's what you mean.'

'Oh well it's good that you've survived, but he'll be harder on you next time Kaoru now that he knows you're not just some chick I picked up in the street with half a brain.'

'Bring it on Honey.'

'That's why I thank the lord for having you around Kaoru,' he smiled quietly.

Sitting next to him he wrapped his arm around her and they leaned into one another's embrace.

'Tomoe is giving a toast Kamatari, it would be rude if you were out here with your - Miss Kamiya instead of toasting her happiness.' Cut in Kenshin, startling both Kaoru and Kamatari who had not seen him approach them. Although he had spoken in that low deep rumble he had almost paused at her saying her name. After which he turned slightly waiting for them to walk in front so he could follow them in.

As they reached the glass entrance to the room Kaoru who was slightly behind Kamatari felt a hand grip her elbow stopping her progress altogether. She knew it was Kenshin but Kamatari had already walked into the room, and calling out would have been inappropriate as the room hushed. Instead Kaoru allowed Kenshin to guide her away from the entrance to the corner of the balcony where he stood in front of her blocking any escape.

'Why are you here Miss Kamiya?'

'Well you cornered me on the balcony, so I guess you could answer that question yourself, you're not a very smart cookie are you?'

'Answer the question,' his eyes flashed gold and glowed in the dark.

'Well, Miss Yukishiro was kind enough to invite Kamatari and his partner to this party, and as I am his partner I came.'

'Don't act stupid. And don't make me repeat my question.'

'Do you actually think that your bad cop routine is going to make me answer any of your questions? Seriously, how power delusional are you that you think I'll actually be scared into answering? I love Kamatari very much, and he asked me to be here. And I came to support him as you do when you love and care for someone.' She responded quietly. 'I have given Kamatari all my support in the past and I will continue to do so in the future whether you like it or not. What do you have to say for yourself Mr Himura?'

'Kamatari knows I care for him. He's family. He can ask me for whatever he wants and I am more than happy to support his decisions.'

'Really? Then why the strong man attitude? Unless you know something I don't,' she murmured. She felt like lifting her hand and studying her nails like those actors did when they didn't care for the situation they were in but he was standing too close for her to even move a centimetre.

As her little accusation laced query hung in the air his eyes narrowed before he leaned and stated lowly.

'I'm watching you.'

'I like that you're watching me,' she replied in a mock sexy tone 'I didn't know you were such a voyeur, I'll have to let the world know,' she elaborated looking directly into his eyes, letting him know that she was up to the challenge.

'You're way too sassy for your own good,' he bit out his eyes blazing.

'And that's the way you like it,' she winked 'Now if you don't mind I'd like to go inside and toast Tomoe's happiness.'

Kenshin watched her hips sway as she walked away. _Damn the woman had a smart mouth. _She also had the most enticing lips he had ever encountered and he doubted that scent of Jasmine would ever just be Jasmine anymore. From now on he knew it would always remind him of her.

* * *

**Hope you liked it - tell me what you think :-)**

**Iuvenalis.**


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Rurouni Kenshin :-)

**Strange Affliction**

**Chapter 2 – Anagram**

Kenshin lay back in his bed, his arms cushioning his head, musing about the latest turn of events. What words came to mind? Distinctly unexpected? Can you spell J-A-S-M-I-N-E? It was all he could really smell after she had left his presence.

She was strangely defiant yet at times unsure. He had seen it in her eyes when he had her cornered, yet she had not backed down. It was clear that she loved Kamatari but his niggling suspicions would not rest until he knew everything about her. Absolutely everything.

* * *

The gods were against her. Yes they most certainly were. Could the redheaded devil not arrive at the end of her trip? Alternatively when she had actually left altogether?

Sighing she rolled slowly to the side of the large bed and left her right leg hanging over the edge in a poor attempt of actually exiting. Slowly pushing her self up, she stretched and eyed the small rays of sunlight peeping through her curtains with disdain. She recalled snippets of Kamatari's conversation as he walked her back to their room after the fated engagement party.

'_Tomorrow is traditionally the trivial pursuit type day…we basically have a quiz thing in all areas of knowledge. We split up into teams and everything and it's really fun. Usually Ken teams up with Aoshi or Sano – you'll most likely be with one of the girls.'_

'_How many to a team?' she asked slowly_

'_Three at most…'_

Ugh, she'd had so much to drink last night that her brain was on stasis or something. Trust today to be the Trivial Pursuit day. Grabbing her big soft towel she limped into the bathroom and proceeded to drown herself in a nice warm shower. As the hard hot water beat down on her, she closed her eyes and an image of two golden orbs appeared in her mind. Yelping, she quickly switched off the shower. Was it the eyes or the heat of the water? _The water, it was definitely the water _she chanted in her mind

Dressing was an easy task for Kaoru. She chose her red and white cotton kid dress with red slippers. It was the cutest outfit she owned and she loved it. The dress was mostly white with red piping and big round red plastic buttons down the front of the torso. She had a matching red brimmed hat which sat on her head at a cute angle. Hooking her sunglasses out of her bag she strode out of the room in the hope of finding Kamatari before she reached the breakfast table.

It was clear however, that Kamatari the traitor that he was had already settled himself at the table to eat. He winked at her when she entered, while chewing thoughtfully on his peanut butter covered carrot. Raising an eyebrow at him she slid elegantly into a chair opposite him and eyed the several dishes set out before her. If this was the way Kamatari would eat if he lived at home,Kaoru wasn't sure if she'd ever leave. Kaoru's palate related thoughts were rudely interrupted by the ever energetic Misao bouncing into the room with her hair flying in a long braid behind her.

'Hey hey everybody!' she greeted excitedly 'It's trivia time-,' her little speech muffled by Yahiko shoving a bread roll in her mouth with a deftness belying his stature. Groaning Kamatari leaned forward and eyed the top hat which sat in the middle of the table with disdain. A silence descended on the group as they all watched it mesmerised by its complete simplicity. They watched as a long masculine hand with tapered fingers reached over Kaoru's shoulder and lifted two pieces of paper out of the hat. Kaoru's eyes and body moved and followed the hand back to its owner who happened to be a particular red head who hadn't earned her good graces as yet.

He slowly unfolded the first piece and read it before meeting her eyes over the top of its bladed edge.

'Aoshi,' he murmured before unfolding the second piece and reading a second name 'Yahiko.'

'Alright!' yelled Yahiko pumping his hand in the air before leaning over and claiming loudly, 'Kenshin's the best – you're all gonna lose…LOSERS!'

'I hardly think that the opinion of a self absorbed teenager really counts in evaluating the depth of someone's brilliance at trivia,' uttered Kaoru clearly but softly. She lifted a strawberry from its basket and nipped the top off, closing her eyes with pleasure at its sweet taste. Opening one eye she watched as Kenshin's eyes narrowed in a lethal fashion. Grinning like a Cheshire cat she leaned over and picked out two pieces before opening and reading them out aloud.

'Misao' and 'Megumi.'

'Megumi's not here,' snickered Yahiko.

'She'll be here by the time trivia starts Yahiko-chan, and I wouldn't be so cocky about winning. My Kaoru wins 3 free jugs of beer for us every Wednesday trivia night at our pub.' He claimed before folding his arms and leaning back in his chair.

Scowling Yahiko turned to look at Kenshin with a slightly worried look on his face.

'Rest assured Miss Kamiya will not find the talent lacking within the Himura household. It's best that she remembers she's not up against drunk men with little sense,' he stated quietly before seating himself next to Kamatari.

'I never thought you were one of those who underestimated their opponents Mister Himura. Then again I have been known to be wrong about certain men,' she drawled.

'Oh I am not underestimating, far from it. I'm warning you that I will not be so easy to conquer as your drunk friends at the pub. This is a tournament of skill which is embedded in tradition and embarked upon with great solicitude. I would hate for you to underestimate me.' He stated as his lips curved in a small smile full of amusement.

'Fair warning and fair challenge. I accept your opening gambit and wish you every luck in winning. You'll be needing it,' she assured him before digging into her own toasted bread with honey.

* * *

The breakfast passed in mostly normal circumstances had it not been for Kaoru's knowledge that Kenshin had been staring at her throughout the majority of the meal. The man had no sense of proprietary and she wished he'd keep his strange long looks to himself. She also wanted to meet Megumi, who Kamatari had described as a cutting woman with little sense in the area of love, because naturally she had fallen in love with an idiot. Megumi arrived at the end of the meal with a rather tall and imposing man in tow. She was elegant and poised where his hair stood straight up at strange angles in the air. They appeared to be the most unlikely couple Kaoru had ever encountered.

'Oh look there's a raccoon at the table!' she announced upon sighting Kaoru.

'Excuse me?' returned Kaoru.

'Ah Megumi, tactful as ever – this is Kaoru, my girlfriend and in addition to Misao will be your team mate for trivia today,' he stated after clearing his throat in a rather exaggerated manner.

'Oh wow, we're going to lose aren't we?' she questioned raising an eyebrow at Misao.

'We are?' asked Misao

'Never mind,' sighing Megumi reached for a bread roll covered and chewed in contemplation while mentally evaluating the latest addition to their troupe.

The game was to be held out in the garden as it was unanimously decided that the weather was simply too good to sit inside all day.

The hosts for the day turned out to be Sae and Tae, who didn't want to compete against one another and opted for the easier role of asking the questions rather than answering them.

Basically the teams turned out to be Kenshin Aoshi and Yahiko vs Kaoru, Misao and Megumi. They each had their special horns making it easier for the host to identify which team pressed their button first.

'Okay team Kaoru, test your buzzer,' asked Tae.

Pressing the button in front of her, the sound of a horse neighing resounded throughout the garden. Kenshin's team buzzer however turned out to be the sound of a cow mooing pitifully.

'Okay, today there will be 6 different areas in which you will be tested. They are: People and Places, Arts & Entertainment, History, Science and Nature, Sports and Leisure, and finally Wild Card. As you all know from previous years, Wild Card is a general knowledge section which will be tested last. Alright teams, hands on buzzers for the first round which is People and Place.'

'First Question: Which of the first seven wonders of the ancient world was the first to be built?'

'The Great Pyramid of Cheops,' responded Kenshin quickly.

'Correct. What are the two official languages of the Vatican City?'

'Italian and Latin.'

'Well done Kaoru – Correct!'

'What country sent out 15,000 census workers to count its homeless population?'

'The U.S.'

'Right again Kaoru.'

The day continued on with various breaks between each segment, and naturally Kaoru felt the need to close her eyes in the hope that no one would talk to her while she did.

'If we win, it will have been a worthy victory…even though I had originally thought you to be entirely devoid of intelligent thought,' drawled Kenshin. He waited patiently for a barbed answer which didn't occur quickly at all, which had him glancing at her carefully.

Kaoru waited a full minute before answering. Turning her head she produced a look of mock surprise before commenting.

'Oh I'm dreadfully sorry, did you say something?' she asked sweetly.

'That's the best you can come up with?' murmured Kenshin lifting an eyebrow.

'Listen, here is the circle of Kaoru' she mimicked a circle around herself with her arms, 'you are here,' she explained pointing outside her makeshift circle.

'Childish much.'

'Oh please as if your first comment wasn't childish enough,' she retorted.

'You acerbic wit leaves me speechless.'

'Yet here you are continuing to speak in my presence.'

'I was simply trying to accord you with a civil conversation concerning how you have risen in my esteem.'

'And you still managed to insult me at the same time, how strange,' she drawled.

'You won't win,' he stated in that low tone which had her nerves tingling.

'Oh I'm sorry, let's check the score again shall we? Team Kaoru 22, Team Kenshin 17, oh wow! That means I'm beating you,' she bit out sarcastically.

'I don't know your weakness yet but I will soon enough…' he murmured in her ear.

Somehow he had shifted closer to her and wrapped an arm around the back and across the front of her chair effectively blocking any thought she might have had of escaping.

'Invading personal area!' she sang out in an annoyed tone 'Do you know nothing about the boundaries of proprietary?' she hissed with a distinct feeling of déjà vu.

His lips curved at the edge, in a half smile before he straightened and walked back to where the rest of his team waited for the next round.

Every time Kenshins team made a move for the lead, Kaoru fought back. It was almost a sense of pride and honour that she had to win. She wanted to show Kenshin Himura that he was messing with the wrong woman.

She didn't want to dislike him but seriously, what person acted so aloof but at the same time knew everything about everyone. It was annoying. And the whole 'I'm-so-much-better-than-everyone-else' thing had Kaoru's sneering in dislike. He evoked all the wrong emotions within her and thank god her mental monologue was not reflected on her face. She wanted to 'nothing' him. Nothing him in the manner where she reflected upon firstly none of his prior conversations, secondly that his hair was the most lovely colour and ten times more healthy than normal, thirdly that he was so nosy regarding her relationship with Kamatari. She wanted no more of Kenshin Himura and minimising contact with said person was now Kaoru's main goal for the rest of the trip.

The end of the day of trivia had the announcement of the winners, which was Kaoru's team by a whisker of 2 points. She wondered whether she should have extracted some form of illicit deal with Kenshin on the condition that her team won before the day had started. Sad, she could have had so much fun torturing him she thought grinning like a mad person.

'Um Kaoru love, your face has the most odd expression on it…like you wanted to hurt something. Very similar to the one you have when you're killing cockroaches,' murmured Kamatari dryly.

'Uh yeah, it's all good.'

Clearing her throat uncomfortably, Kaoru headed out towards the back of the garden leading to a maze and beyond that a river. She walked along the maze until she reached a row of trees and stopped as she heard a low murmured conversation. It sounded like Sano and Kenshin.

'You don't trust the new missy do you?'

'Why should I?'

'Ever heard of the expression, innocent until proven guilty?'

'Doesn't apply here.'

'Why not?'

'She's hiding something.'

'And you know this because…'

'Kamatari has not elucidated much information in the past about Miss Kamiya, so it stands to reason they are both hiding something. Kamatari I can deal with, but Kamiya is a whole different matter.'

'How about you just let your suspicions slide down the list of priorities and try to get to know her instead. Meg told me she's not that bad.'

_Not that bad? _

'I respect Megumi's opinion, but I'll deal with this situation as I see fit.'

'Okay Kenshin, just be careful…you might end up in a situation you don't expect,' Sano concluded thoughtfully before striding away past the tree which Kaoru had conveniently hidden behind.

A few seconds later Kenshin followed in Sano's footsteps but stopped and unerringly looked at the spot where Kaoru was hiding. Without breaking eye contact he shifted to move towards the tree, but was stopped by Sano calling out.

'Oy Kenshin, stop dawdling and get back to the house! We're having afternoon tea!'

Kaoru wondered what would have happened if Kenshin had actually followed through and looked behind the tree. She didn't really want to think about it.

* * *

Kaoru stayed with Kamatari for the rest of the afternoon until it was time for dinner. For some reason once again the forces were against her and Kenshin was seated next to her at the end of the table. Even more strange was that Kenshin made absolutely no move to be impolite. He was quietly civil and never gave her more than the cursory glance. Kaoru had a feeling that she would never understand the behaviour of males in the Himura household, she really wouldn't.

Kenshin kept his glances and words to an absolute minimum with Kaoru Kamiya. What was it about her that set his teeth on edge? Sano words for some strange reason had him thinking. _What happens if I find myself in an unexpected situation…what then?_ Over the last few days Kaoru had grown on him unexpectedly. He would listen for her tinkling laugh, her snippy comments and even for the fall of her footsteps. His suspicions and the fact that she was supposedly with Kamatari were holding him back significantly. For the first time in a long time Kenshin felt that there may be a woman worth knowing better.

He watched out of the corner of his eye as she chewed her food delicately and it surprised him that she hadn't eaten more unreservedly. He had watched her eat at lunch and she had stuffed the food in her mouth so that there was no room at all and her cheeks puffed out on either side of her face. Kamatari had tried tickling her which made her face turn red like a tomato and she proceeded to swallow her food then beat him. He chuckled inwardly at her unreserved nature.

'I hear we're going shopping tomorrow or something,' Kaoru commented, cutting into Kenshins thoughts. Kaoru grimaced mentally for opening her big fat mouth _hello self preservation?_

Kenshin started in surprise at her opening comment.

'Yes. Tomoe has much shopping to complete regarding her wedding…she always involves friends and family in her big events.'

Overhearing the turn of the conversation Kamatari leaned across the table.

'I told Tomoe that you're a fabulous designer darling, and she wants to take you with her for opinion and possibly a new design opportunity,' he stated winking as if to say 'look what I did, don't you just love me'. And no, Kaoru didn't really love him at that moment, neither did Kenshin.

'I'm sure Miss Kamiya has come here to relax, not be pushed into another job simply because you asked her to.'

Kaoru whipped her head around in surprise at the comment.

'I think I can handle one wedding dress for the holidays Mr Himura. I can voice my own opinions and I'd appreciate it, if you could remember that in the future.'

She watched as his eyes narrowed in response to her warning. Her lips pulled together in mutinous line, practically daring him to respond. After a moment of hard staring, Kaoru returned to her meal humming happily.

Kenshin moved his cutlery in a manner which indicated to the staff that he was ready to leave the dinner table. Before rising to leave however he leaned over to Kaoru for one last comment.

'Tomorrow you will drive with me, be ready at 9.' He muttered before striding away. Kaoru glared at the door Kenshin had walked through before grumbling unhappily. Tomorrow was definitely going to be a long day.

* * *

The morning was lovely without a doubt, but Kaoru was in a mood. She watched as Kenshin brought his Aston Martin Vanquish round in a semi circle stopping so that the passenger side door halted only inches from where she stood. Sliding her sunglasses down her nose she whistled in appreciation.

'That's quite a ride you have there Mr. Himura.'

'Kenshin. Thank You. It's an Ast-'

'Aston Martin Vanquish. I know,' she grinned as his lips tightened in annoyance. 'Shall we proceed?'

Kenshin responded by opening the passenger side door for her, patiently waiting for her to get in.

'Always the gentlemen…even when you're insulting me.'

'I'm not insulting you now, get in the car.'

Kaoru sat in the car and waited for him to return to the driver's side. She had to hand it to the man; he had style, class and the money to do it. Pity she found him so annoying.

'So you design dresses for a living?'

'You're making it sound like an insult again.'

'I'm merely asking a question for the sake of proper driving conversation etiquette in the country.'

'Hmm I specialise in wedding dresses, but I occasionally do evening gowns…I could design one for you one day…I think a nice emerald will go well with you hair colour – then you'd look like Christmas tree!' she grinned childishly.

'You're a regular comedian aren't you?'

'I sure am.'

'Do you love Kamatari?'

'Why are we having this conversation again?'

'I asked first.'

'And I asked second whoopdy doo,' she returned in exasperation. Taking her shoes off, she rested her feet on the side view mirror outside the car and leaned back in her seat.

'Please take you feet of the mirror.'

'Why? I'm comfortable this way.'

'No body parts outside the car while we drive. Please.'

'If I do will you at least let me spend the day in relative peace?'

'Relative peace?'

'Because I know that although you're incredibly astute when it comes to most things, you don't seem to understand about 90 of what I say. Therefore you will inevitably step into grounds which you have been previously warned about, hence my position of relative peace.'

Kenshin's lips curved in what could have been a smile, but Kaoru wasn't sure. Sighing she removed her feet from the window before closing her eyes and hoping that they would reach their destination soon enough.

* * *

'Will you stop singing?'

'No. I'm a diva in a cage! I want to be free!' Sang Kaoru in a distinctly off tune manner. Grimacing Kenshin stopped the car in front of a boutique where several old ladies sat chatting waiting for their bus. They eyed Kenshin and Kaoru with interest.

'You can't stop me from what I want to do, and it's as simple as that,' she hissed in his face. Clearly the solitary plan hadn't worked out.

'I don't understand how Kamatari deals with you,' he snapped.

'He doesn't deal with me! Nobody does you supercilious jerk!' she muttered lowly as she exited the vehicle. She stopped abruptly upon sighting the three elderly ladies.

As Kenshin rounded the car unhurriedly, but with a distinct note of displeasure in his movements, she turned and faced him.

'Can I have my panties back when you're done with them?' she asked sweetly before entering the boutique.

All three elderly women turned to stare accusingly at him as he blinked in confusion before realising what she'd done.

_He would kill her before the day ended. Probably._

* * *

Kenshin spent the better part of his day discussing the intricate details of the groom's outfit for a wedding. As far as he was concerned there were none. You wore the suit, and got married, really what was the issue here?

Kaoru chatted happily to Tomoe about the different styles available, her face animated with pleasure. Tomoe was lucky to have Kaoru as her designer and even he knew that. He'd done a little research and it turned out that her brand of 'Angel' clothing was exclusive. Very exclusive. She designed fairly sporadically and when she did it was always some new level of beauty which surpassed her last efforts. He had always cut himself off emotionally from women, but this one somehow aroused the strangest feeling in him. Rarely did he lose his temper or reveal the slightest hint of affection in any situation. This woman had evoked both in the short duration of a few days. He briefly heard the words silk and lace, and his brain immediately turned off from the conversation.

Kaoru watched Kenshin isolate himself from the group. He stood near the boutique window staring outside at nothing in particular, she was sure of that. He always managed to segregate himself even though he was surrounded by people. That seemed to be an essential characteristic of his personality, which Kaoru found disturbing. Even more strange, she mused at how people naturally gravitated towards him. Why was she even thinking about him? She had made a deal with herself to avoid any topic related to one Himura Kenshin. He turned slightly and caught her staring at him in the reflection of the window. His face didn't lose its blank expression except for the narrowing of his eyes. Swallowing Kaoru returned to thinking about the dimensions of Tomoe's dress. After all there wasn't much time to create a masterpiece she told herself silently.

'You amuse her,' came a soft voice, almost startling Kenshin from his little mental blank.

'Who might we be discussing?'

'Don't play dumb Kenshin…that's not a characteristic that has ever been associated with you. So don't use it as an excuse to get out of a slightly emotion related topic,' sighed Tomoe in exasperation.

'She's not a topic I wish to discuss at present. In fact she will be gone in a few weeks…what do you mean _I amuse her_?' he muttered.

'She likes hassling you; it's like a point she has to make every day. She has no interest in your wealth or your fleet of cars.'

'In other words she likes me?'

'No I wouldn't say that she likes you. She's more entertained by your reactions and her relative anonymity in your world. For an amazingly astute man you can be obtuse Ken…I wouldn't let this go if I were you…like you let me go.' She whispered quietly, before kissing him on the cheek and returning to the bridal foray. Kaoru was now in a heated discussion with Kamatari about who knows what and had practically backed him up against a chaise in order to get her point across. In response Kamatari had stuck his foot under her stiletto shoe causing her to fall in a graceless heap. Kaoru returned with a kick to Kamatari's leg before righting herself and stalking off to the change rooms with her design plan in hand. Kamatari was beside himself laughing at her hair in violent disarray and the fact that she had flashed every guy in the boutique with her lovely bright green undies.

Kenshin watched her lovely face tight with annoyance as she sorted through the available fabrics. He was definitely going to have to do something about Kaoru Kamiya.

* * *

Hurrah :-)

Tell it how it is - the good, the bad, and the ugly :-)

Cheers,

Iuvenalis.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer - I do not own Rurouni Kenshin :-)****

* * *

**

**Chapter 3 - Slip**

Kaoru watched Kamatari jump up and down on the trampoline in the garden with Misao. She didn't understand how she had been dragged into their childish dramatics but she had, and there wasn't much she could do right now to get out of it.

The exceedingly warm summer's day had sparked Misao's brilliant idea of someone having to jump on the trampoline while someone else threw water bombs at them. And yes she was the one who was meant to be trying to hit Kamatari and Misao with her pathetic little water bombs. She wanted to throw one at Kenshin. Actually she wanted to capture him in a game net and drown him in a piranha swamp in the Congo. She could always dream. After hurling all the available water bombs at Misao and Kamatari she joined them in jumping up and down and landing awkwardly many times. _If you can't beat em' join em'. _In order to compensate the lack of water bombs she had turned on the sprinkler which was adequate water sprayage for their purposes.

Afterwards they lay on the trampoline, water spraying on their faces.

'Misao, Kamatari. Correct me if I'm wrong but don't you we have a pool as well as a lake to swim in for hot days etc?'

'Yeah but that's boring.' replied Misao without missing a beat.

'We should throw some bombs at Kenshin.' whispered Misao.

'I would love to.' replied Kaoru in a solemn tone. And she was completely serious.

'Leave me out of this ladies.' Exclaimed Kamatari, scrambling for the edge of the trampoline, before loping off towards the house.

'Pansy' commented Kaoru dryly.

* * *

No one had seen Kenshin since the afternoon after they returned from the boutique. He had disappeared into his little study and if he had emerged no one had seen him. _Where was the devil?_

She had checked his study and he wasn't in there. Checking the stable she noticed one horse missing and since she had accounted for all members of the household except him, she deduced that it had to be Kenshin who had gone for a ride.

'Now we have to drop it on him from a place where he can't know who it is.'

'Why not just throw it at him? Seriously who cares if he knows it's us.' Replied Kaoru.

'For the sake of self preservation I wish to do it this way.' Stated Misao. 'Hmm. Okay. I think that we should drop it from the second level of the house when he's about walk inside.'

'Leave it to me Misao. Leave it to me.' Kaoru's eyes became slitted as she chuckled evilly about her next set of plans.

* * *

Proximity. It was all about distance. He had not seen Kaoru all morning and all last night which was good. Good for his brain, his well being, his general composure. All good.

The little morning canter made him feel decidedly better and breakfast seemed rather enticing by the time he returned. Leading his horse Tolly into the stable he slowly brushed down the mare before feeding her and locking her into the yard for a roam. He turned and leaned against the edge of the fence contemplating the harsh beginnings of such a gentle creature. Tolly loved her master and lovingly lay her head on his shoulder nibbling his hair and nudging the side of his face. Kenshin breathed in and felt the fuzzy warm feeling slide into his heart. He always felt this way with Tolly, because she was his little lost cause brought back from the darkness. Her previous owner had been terrible. Whipping, beating and pushing her too much. Kenshin had found her on adjacent farming land almost dead. Her eyes however burned with life and he took her back to his stable.

His soft words and gentle handling left her craving his company and he rarely denied her. Giving her one last rub on the nose he strode back towards the house wondering why the ground was so damp. Before he could even complete the thought his boots not designed for wet terrain slipped up and sent him sprawling into the wet mud and grass. Growling in disbelief he hauled himself up and trudged slowly, careful not to faceplant again.

* * *

Kaoru watched his slow progress up to the house from her position on the second floor centre window howling with laughter at his graceful trip down to mudville. She had to time it perfectly. She had originally tied 6 water bombs together and then migrated to using a balloon instead. It was the size of a basketball and Kaoru felt that even the slightest movement would set it off. Just in case she didn't get him the first time she had set up 2 balloons, which she planned to roll out one after the other regardless. Carefully she rolled it to the edge of the sill and counted his steps and how fast the balloon would fall given its weight. Toppling it off the sill she watched as it dropped and carefully rolled the second one over as well.

Leaning as far out as possible she watched as the first balloon hit Kenshin's left shoulder and the second hit him straight on the top of his head. He stood there stunned for a moment, checked himself and then looked up. By that time Kaoru had closed the window and was racing away to the ground floor.

Kenshin knew it had to have been dropped from the second floor, because if it was any higher it would have hurt ten times more than it had. He raced inside and up the stairs to find none other than Kaoru racing down the stairs. Upon sighting him she slowed and cleared her throat before taking a leisurely perusal of his appearance.

* * *

Kenshin was a mess. There really wasn't any other way to describe it. His hair was muddy, stringy and clumped together. His outfit was entirely wet and covered here and there with mire and grass. His face sported the most pissed off expression Kaoru thought she had ever seen. And hey if this is the angriest he was going to get she might as well push it far as she could. Bringing her hands out from behind her back, Kenshin realised with a dawning horror what she was about to do. She had Kamatari's runway camera in her hand. It took 30 shots in 5 seconds.

She pressed the button and a series of flashes went of in Kenshin's face. His entire body was frozen with disbelief and anger which prevented him from moving quickly enough to prevent the disaster.

Halfway through the flashes he started towards her before Kaoru turned and ran up the stairs. She had enough evidence anyway. Racing after her, she threw a towel in his face, momentarily blinding him and allowing her to hide. After careful consideration, with towel clenched in hand he stalked into the unused music room and threw open the first cupboard to find her huddled in the corner. He grabbed the camera out of her hands before breaking it to pieces. His eyes blazed golden fury at her bold joke. Glaring at her one last time he turned to walk off, his stride and contours of his body lined with frustration.

'Hey! That was a really expensive camera you know! Are you going to pay for it!' she yelled at his retreating form. Kaoru grinned in triumph as she took the roll of film from her inside her jacket pocket and threw it in the air in contemplation of who she'd show the photos to first.

Kaoru mentally contemplated the various issues facing her. On one hand she felt immensely satisfied with her morning escapades. On the other hand she felt mildly ashamed. Not entirely embarrassed but as if she could have done without playing her little joke. Kamatari stopped his slow perusal of the photos of Kenshin in a mess and glanced at her as she sighed again.

'Darling any more sighs and I'll be depressed as well. What's wrong?' he sighed.

'This is going to sound totally stupid – but I feel bad for playing that trick on Kenshin.' She grimaced waiting for his response.

'Kenshin is a big boy darling, he can take it like a man. And if he doesn't then everyone will think he's a big pansy and he won't let that happen. Trust me.' Nodded Kamatari knowingly.

* * *

Unbeknown to Kaoru, Kenshin had decided that Kaoru was proving to be more of a distraction than he needed. Moreover the fact that she was his brother's girlfriend and best friend prevented him from really doing anything.

Kenshin thought of all the prior interactions they had in the past. She seemed flustered by his proximity. Was it his is personality? Despite everything he wanted her to like him, which was entirely unlike him at all.

Kaoru shifted uneasily on the couch. The couch itself wasn't uncomfortable but rather the red head sitting on the couch across from her had been staring at her without a single glance away, for the past twenty minutes. This was either his idea of a return joke or the fact that he was still pissed off. She wasn't sure which option she liked better, and frankly neither one was a better choice than the other. Hearing Megumi's request for more tea, Kaoru jumped up and offered to replenish the teapots. She struggled to walk casually into the kitchens and sagged with relief as the door swung close behind her. Caught up in her contemplations Kaoru almost dropped the kettle when Kamatari came barging into the kitchen after her.

'Kenshin has been staring at you.' he stated emphatically.

Kaoru groaned in disbelief. 'I don't need this right now Kam.'

'But I think you do. I told you not to poke a stick at the hornets nest.' he stated seriously.

'If you do not stop talking about this I will drop you like third period French. Do you understand?'

'Kaoru. I know that this will sound strange but I think my brother likes you. Even though you're supposed to be my girlfriend.'

'What? How can that be? Isn't there some code between brothers or something? There's a code for women! Guy's who are dating or have dated my friends are off my radar forever. Forever.' she intoned.

'I don't think he'll make it obvious dear. He's not the type unless he really wants it and then you're in trouble.' he surmised.

'Well aren't you supposed to fight for me or something? Show that I'm your woman or whatever?' she exclaimed.

'Darling I shall endeavour to display the depths of my affection for you to my family. If not for my sake then definitely yours' he promised. 'Besides Kenshin will probably encourage us to be together as opposed to breaking us up. He's not very good like that especially since you're my girl.' he stated giving her a little hug.

Kaoru stared at Kamatari before calmly filling the two teapots and carrying them back to the lounge. She needed some tea; after all they did say the tea was very soothing.

Kaoru remained slightly involved in the insipid conversations for the most part. Until Megumi ventured over and sat beside her before enquiring after her next project.

'Well firstly Tomoe's dress and when I get back to the city I have a few things to do for Kamatari's next shoot. Other than that can't say I'm too busy. Probably the best thing about being freelance, no pressure' she grinned. 'I understand that you're a doctor?'

'Mmm.' Murmured Megumi 'and the hours at the moment are killing me, but I can honestly say that I love what I do.'

'I don't think I could ever be a doctor. Just the thought that I someone's survival rests solely on my shoulders makes me feel smothered. I don't understand how you do it. It's very admirable.' remarked Kaoru quietly.

'You get used to it.' Megumi stared at Kaoru before continuing. 'What are you doing with Kamatari?'

Kaoru blinked slowly in a daze before gathering her scattered brain. She hadn't expected such an open line of questioning.

'I'm his girlfriend.'

'But you can't be.' Sighed Megumi, tired of Kaoru's lack of understanding. 'I know Kamatari does not favour women sexually Kaoru, so I'll ask again – what are you doing with Kamatari?'

Kaoru weighed her options and realised that the truth was really all that would suffice in this situation.

'Kamatari asked me to come. And I came at his behest. He's my best friend, and like a brother. I couldn't say no. And frankly I'm glad I came, I like all of you.'

'Does Kamatari think we won't accept his choice? Is that what it is?'

'Essentially I think he knows that you will accept it but he doesn't want the dynamic of any of any of the relationships he has with you all to change. He's afraid of what you'll think.'

Megumi face remained impassive yet her eyes were stricken.

'I did not realise that we had made him feel this way.'

'It's because he loves you all so much Megumi. Nothing else. Besides, I had an inkling that some of you already knew.' She smirked recalling the moment when Misao had first met her. The look of shock on her face had been priceless. Clearly she had been expecting Kam to bring home a boyfriend, not a girlfriend.

'So. Who doesn't know?'

'Isn't it obvious?'

Kaoru shrugged carelessly, though she had her suspicions of who it may be.

'Kenshin doesn't know' muttered Megumi. Probably in disbelief because the man in question was brilliant yet sadly lacking.

'He's your brother.' sighed Kaoru with a pitying tone.

'He likes you.' she replied smugly,

Clenching her teeth Kaoru turned towards Megumi stiffly.

'And how many of you are so sure of this?'

'Everyone.' replied Megumi blithely.

* * *

After having a relatively relaxing afternoon Kenshin retreated to his study again for some clarity. He liked Kaoru. A lot. This much was obvious. He felt like a school boy around her, he mused because any time he knew he could he would try to get a rise out of her. She almost did the same with him. She didn't try to hold his attention in a sexually commanding manner and always seemed in friendly and comfortable ease with Kamatari. He had watched them interact and there was something different which he couldn't quite place his finger on.

_Kaoru sat under the large apple tree with a small smile. Kamatari lay with his head in her lap in comfortable silence. Kaoru slowly peeled her apple and cut it into small pieces occasionally slipping a piece into Kamatari's mouth, which he chewed on happily. Kaoru rested her hand on Kamatari's chest which he covered with his own. Leaning down she whispered something in his ear, as he ran his hand through her luxurious hair. The silky strands slipped through his fingers easily._

Kenshin had wished that they were his own hands which had been touching her hair. Wished that it was him she bestowed upon with her beautiful smile and small offerings of apple. He could imagine the serenity of having her whisper in his ear the way he had seen. Ah the world was cruel.

'Kamatari, I was wondering if I could speak with you a moment?'

Kamatari eye's slid instantly to Kaoru who seemed happily oblivious to Kenshin's presence. Nodding carefully, Kamatari followed Kenshin into the garden and down the path to the river where they had swam as children.

'I understand that Kaoru is enjoying her time with us.'

'Yes she is. She likes – everyone.' finished Kamatari lamely.

Kenshin had a feeling to whom the pause was really meant for and sighed inwardly. He wasn't one to back away, but in this situation he felt as if his hands were strangely tied.

'Perhaps a trip to our vineyards in Berry will allow you to spend more time with her. Alone.' His tone carried no jibes or sarcasm. He was all business today.

'If everyone else is happy to go then Kaoru will be happy as well. Kenshin she likes spending time with everyone, and she spends enough time with me as it is.' reasoned Kamatari.

'Think about it Kamatari, that's all I ask.'

Nodding, Kamatari assured Kenshin that all his thoughts from this point forward will be committed to considering it. Kenshin murmured that this would stupid indeed but could he please have an answer by tonight.

* * *

Kaoru answered the light melodious tune of the doorbell in the Himura household, without realising a maid should have answered it instead. Unlocking the strange looking lock she opened both doors widely to behold a skinny little courier man holding a package.

_Those shorts aren't doing anything for him at all_ mused Kaoru sympathetically.

'I have a package sent pacifically for Mr Kenshin Himura.'

_Pacifically? _

'Uh where do I sign?'

'Where's Mr Himura?' countered the nasal toned courier man.

'Where's the specific ocean?' mocked Kaoru in reference to his previous error.

Nostrils flaring in dislike, the courier man held out an electronic sign pad, where Kaoru autographed obligingly before closing the door in his face.

Kaoru twisted the package in her hands this way and that before reading the 'sent from' address. It was from her hometown of Sydney in Australia, which undeniably piqued her curiosity. She couldn't exactly open the package it was sealed shut tighter than a bank vault. She left the package on the desk in Kenshin's study, and stared at it one last time before turning to leave. She had some thinking to do.

* * *

Kenshin strode into his study later that day and found the parcel placed sedately on his desk. Checking for the sender, he knew exactly who it was from. That private investigator he had hired a few a days ago had been quick with his research. Sliding the letter opener deftly along the cellotaped lines of the box, the contents slid out of its own accord. Various pieces of paper and several photos of her face peeked out at him in vivid colour. Kaoru Kamiya.

* * *

Kaoru stared at the picture in her hand that she had processed earlier that day. Kenshin's shirt had been tucked haphazardly into his breeches which were neatly inserted into his brown leather boots. Although his face and hair were a mess he looked utterly beautiful. Kaoru had a good eye for these things. His open shirt displayed the strong column of his neck, to reveal the tanned muscled torso. His shirt sleeves had been rolled back uncovering his long slim hands. He looked good even though he was covered in crap. Damn the man.

Dinner had been a particularly tame experience, which Kaoru believed stemmed from the days activities of jumping around on a trampoline. Perhaps after dinner she would have time to look into Kenshin's study for that package.

After murmuring her excuses she left the dining room and headed towards the study. Stopping short of the door she turned and surveyed her surroundings listening for any sounds before quickly opening his study and slipping quietly in. It was dark but if she switched on the light someone walking past would know she was in there. As her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, she shuffled forward carefully before hitting the edge of Kenshin's desk with her thigh. Moving around she sat in his seat and wiggled a little thinking what a comfy chair it was. She opened his drawer and rifled through it but to no avail.

_Where was the damn package?_ Just as the thought came, she spotted a dull picture in the darkness. It looked like it had been slipped under some documents but the picture clearly belonged with package. It was paper clipped to a little piece of paper and several other photographs. Sliding it out she rolled the chair towards the study window in the hope of gaining a bit more light from outside. Kaoru felt a sound roaring in her ears as she read the paper, the photo clutched in her left hand.

_Kaoru Kamiya pictured in the attached photograph is of the age of 17. She has been photographed here for her commendable work for orphaned and abused children. Having been raised there herself she sought to expose conditions in which the children were living and became well known for her charitable nature. She was also notorious for her teachings in Kendo to the children in her family dojo (Pictured with her students in picture 5). The style she teaches is Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, which was created in the spirit of defence and protection. This was seen as a highly controversial art of swordsmanship as most schools on kendo taught those styles which sought to kill the opponent. More information can be found on her achievements in this area on the reports attached to pictures 5,6,7,8,9 and 10._

_During her highschool years she lived alone as a ward of the state while providing for herself and was granted some benefits due to her orphaned status. In her early twenties she gained critical acclaim for her fashion styles and distinct talent with her counterpart Kamatari Himura. Mr Himura has not worked on any project without Miss Kamiya to the point where they have been questioned of their relationship. Both parties have been silent on the status of their relationship._

_The attached picture in particular highlights Miss Kamiyas travels to Africa. Here she helped African women conquer the inadequacies and inequalities of their traditional cultural barriers. _

Below the first picture 4 other pictures were clipped together.

_In pictures 1 to 4, Miss Kamiya is helping a leading doctor in women's health in preparation for surgery. This particular clinic has been known to operate on women who have been severely harmed or disfigured due to early childbirth at ages as early as 9. Many have speculated over Miss Kamiya's sporadic work release. It is suspected that her charitable work takes up most of her time and that most of her profits are forwarded to these organisations. _

Kaoru flicked though the pictures and found herself in each one, talking and laughing with her African friends before and after their surgery. In another she cradled a 9 year old girl to her chest as she gave birth to an already deceased child. She had seen it all too may times. She had no tears left to cry and felt anger surge through her brain willing herself to calm down. She had tried her best to keep it under wraps but clearly she hadn't worked hard enough. The last picture however left her speechless. It was this picture which had a more profound effect on her than any of the others.

Snapping her head up she heard the distinct sound of footsteps falling towards the study. Pictures and documents in hand she lunged to hide under the massive oak desk. There she crouched and prayed as the door opened. Leaning down she spied two pairs of feet, one of which definitely belonged to Kamatari. No one else she knew owned a ridiculous pair of mouse slippers like that. She recognised the other from his voice to be Kenshin. Barely restraining herself from jumping out from underneath his desk and punching his lights out she stilled as they began to talk.

'About the whole going to Berry thing…I thought that it would be good to go because we come here every year, and a change would be nice. And Kaoru comes from Australia so she'll find it nice to be back home for awhile.'

'Comes from Australia does she?' murmured Kenshin.

_The liar! He knew she was from Australia. He had to have read some of the report which definitely mentioned where she came from._

'She does. Can't you tell? Her accent is so delightful!'

'Of course. I'll inform everyone of the change of plans. We'll head off the day after tomorrow, then we can be back in time for Tomoe's wedding.'

'Yeah Kaoru has a lot of designing to do for that.'

'That shouldn't be a problem since Tomoe is coming with us.'

'Seriously? And the new man? Akira?'

'He's coming too.'

'Oh' replied Kamatari faintly as he spotted the edge of Kaoru's foot sticking out from under Kenshin's desk, before she quickly pulled it out of sight.

'Uh Ken, do you think we could play chess again sometime?'

'You always lose Kamatari. You hate Chess.' frowned Kenshin.

'I've been practising!' he stated clapping his hands together delightedly.

'The losing or the hating?'

'The winning Ken. Please?' he whined.

'Fine, I'll meet you in the bar room at 9.'

Kenshin strode from the room and Kamatari made to follow but remained within the study watching Kenshin stride away. Leaving the door slightly ajar he called out to Kaoru in a whisper.

'Kaoru! Get out from under the desk!' he hissed.

'How did you know it was me?' she asked her head popping out.

'No one else wears those socks' Kamatari had repeatedly attempted to throw out her mismatched and miscoloured socks without success. He frequently bemoaned that she couldn't be a designer, not with those on. Kaoru claimed that when she wore them she had epiphanies, moreover someone special had given them to her. Kamatari hadn't tried to touch them after that, but that didn't stop him from saying things about them.

'Why wear them here! Wearing them at home is fine! But not here! Oh god they're like ugly twins! Double the fugliness!' he shuddered.

'Stop saying that or you'll hurt their feelings!' she hissed before leaning down and speaking to her socks 'he's just a big meanie, I still love you.' she whispered in a baby voice.

Minutes later Kaoru found herself in hers and Kamatari's room minus the incriminating evidence. If she took it he would know that she knew what he had done, and she didn't want him to know…not yet at least.

* * *

At around midnight, Kamatari came barging into their room, inspecting the hall outside before shutting the door with deliberate precision. Turning he studied her seriously before sitting on the bed near her crossed legs.

'What were you doing in Kenshin's study Kaoru?' he asked in an uncharacteristically serious tone.

Kaoru sighed loudly and frowned before replying.

'He's had me investigated Kamatari.'

'How do you know?'

'I found a report on his desk outlining all the things I've done from childhood to this point in my life.' She paused her face darkening in anger as she thought about it 'He even had information about my charity work. And our relationship, particularly regarding our reluctance to answer media questions pertaining to our relationship.'

Kamatari leaned forward rested his forehead on his fisted hands clasped tightly together. Breathing in deeply he asked Kaoru what he had been dreading.

'Was there anything else?'

'Yes.' she replied softly.

Kamatari waited silently for her to continue.

'There was one picture. From Valentines day.' she revealed carefully.

She watched as he frowned trying to recall what had befallen that day and what could be so troubling. Moments later he swallowed, clasping his hands tighter, his knuckles whitening under the pressure. Kaoru crawled closer and hugged him around his shoulders allowing him to fall into her embrace.

She knew how damaging the picture was for Kamatari.

'So he knows?' whispered Kamatari hoarsely.

'I'm not sure Kam. It seemed like those papers had been forgotten. There was definitely more in the report which was absent form his study. Perhaps you still have time to tell him yourself?'

Shaking his head he leaned tiredly to the side and fell listlessly onto the bed in defeat. Kaoru knew that Kamatari would not be talking again tonight, and she was furious. Kenshin Himura was not going to know what hit him.

* * *

Sorry about the wait :-s really sorry!

and thanks to Dianne for Beta Reading this ;-)

cheers,

Iuvenalis.


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own Rurouni Kenshin ;-) **

**Strange Affliction**

**Chapter 4 – Conversion**

"_So you think I should tell him tomorrow morning?" whispered Kamatari._

"_It's the only way Kam."_

"_I know…I know."_

He had sounded so tired, Kaoru felt his tiredness seep into her body as she tried to sleep. It hadn't worked entirely. Instead morning came and she felt worn out which resulted in limited speech from her at the breakfast table. Toying with her French toast she waited wearily for Kamatari and Kenshin to make their appearance. Kamatari had been absent from their room in the morning, and had not yet had breakfast. She wondered whether she had made a mistake in advising Kamatari to reveal to Kenshin the truth.

This was Kaoru found herself filling her time. It was official. Ikea's idea of an easy simple piece of furniture which could be assembled in a given time of forty minutes was a lie. _Such a lie_. The stupid instructions gave no hint as to what she was doing wrong, and the swinging chair she was supposed to construct now looked something like an abstract post modern art piece. This was supposed to make the time pass, but instead it incited her annoyance to no end. Letting out a few choice words under her breath, Kaoru placed her hand on her forehead in exasperation. Was she really losing her tough gig? Had she become soft?

Her patience was wearing thin._ Very thin_.

* * *

Kenshin linked his hands loosely and hunched over looking at the floor with a distinct level of interest. Kamatari sat rigid in his chair staring at the bookshelf behind Kenshins head with great concentration. 

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"Why did you have Kaoru investigated?"

Kenshin stilled. "How did you know about that?"

"Oh please brother dear, I wasn't born yesterday."

"I didn't trust her. I couldn't trust her enough to believe her affections for you were real." He admitted roughly.

"She does love me Kenshin."

Kenshin sighed and leaned back in his chair studying his younger brother. He felt somewhat mild relief, and something else he couldn't quite fathom.

"I'm sad that you didn't feel that could tell me this before now Kam."

"I was a coward Ken…"

"It has a lot to do with our relationship too. I didn't support you very well emotionally which is why you found it hard to tell me, and for that I'm sorry."

Kamatari remained thoughtfully silent before speaking.

"You shouldn't have had her investigated. You need to learn when to _not_ stick you nose in others affairs" stated Kamatari quietly.

"Yes but you need to learn that although I may seem hard hearted I'm every bit as much your brother now as I was 10 years ago and I deserve to know these things."

"I get it Kenshin." he admitted carefully "I get it."

"From this point forward, don't hide these things from me Kam. I can't help you if I don't understand where you're coming from" Kenshin held his hands out in mollification. "So how long have you known about…" he trailed off waiting for Kamatari to pick up on the subject.

"About my sexuality?" asked Kamatari candidly "Oh since primary school."

"Since _primary school_?" reiterated Kenshin in slight disbelief, to which Kamatari nodded in earnest. "Right." His eyes widened with realisation at certain recollections. "Is that why you always played with Megumi? Never played with me?"

"Well that and the fact that you were a bit older Ken and pretty much better at me then all that stuff. Let's face it; I wasn't the best at football, basketball or whatever manly sports you had planned for us. And I liked playing dress ups better."

"So if I needed some help with my outfits – I could ask you." Kamatari recognised Kenshins request as an olive branch. He wished he had seen his brothers accepting side earlier.

After a moments silence Kamatari spoke.

"So what's with you and Kaoru?" he wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"There is no me and Kaoru."

"Yeah right" he scoffed inelegantly.

"What makes you think there is?"

"I just know" he lifted his shoulders in an eloquent shrug.

"She has to be the mouthiest female I have ever had the misfortune to meet." He began perilously.

"But you like her."

"She never listens to anything I say." Continued Kenshin.

"But you _still_ like her"

"She humiliates me every chance she gets."

"And once again – you are still attracted to her." Kenshin let his head fall back on the leather backed seat in thought. "If you hurt her, I will be forced to maim you." Kamatari picked at invisible lint on his shirt.

"She's not your girlfriend Kamatari" retorted Kenshin lightly.

"Ah, but she is like my sister, and I have no intention of giving her up to a lesser man"

"So you're saying that I'm a lesser man?"

"So that means you like her?"

"I might. What's it to you? She's a grown woman and she can make her own decisions."

"Well aware of that" Kamatari stated holding his hands up in a conciliatory gesture. He then shook his head in mock sadness.

Irritated Kenshin voiced his thoughts immediately. "What?" he barked out.

"You are so screwed." He chuckled. Kamatari was tickled pink at the idea that his highly sought after older brother would be doing all the chasing for once in his life.

"In those pictures, I did wonder why you kept coming out of that same hotel with all those different men. It never really occurred to me." Confessed Kenshin lightly.

"Open your mind, the possibilities are endless."

* * *

Kaoru managed to catch up with Kamatari that evening after dinner when they retired to their rooms for the day. She had noticed that Kenshin had been talking quite a lot to Kamatari and vice versa. Kenshin also seemed less tense, and slightly less macho or highhanded than he normally was. 

"So you told him?" asked even before the door to their room had swung shut.

"Of course I told him." replied Kamatari evenly.

"You're lying!" she accused

"Look at these eyes" he stated framing his face with his hands "would these eyes lie?"

"Seriously Kam." she groaned.

"I told him."

"And?"

"He was shocked, or as shocked as Kenshin could be. And sad."

"Sad?" she repeated in confusion.

"Sad that he obviously had not fulfilled his role as a supportive brother."

"Did he say this, or are you just filling in the gaps?" she asked sceptically.

"No, he said it. He apologised for not being more perceptive, for not understanding and for being very conservative in his general approach towards me."

"Wow. That's pretty huge for a guy like Kenshin huh?"

"Yep. He's actually great when it comes down to the wire."

"So I see."

"He even said that he'd call me if he needed some fashion advice." Kamatari puffed out his chest in pride as he strolled towards the bathroom.

Kamatari was obviously on top of the world. And that was alright for him, but what about her? She was now committed to making a dress for Tomoe, with a bigheaded (but slightly deflated since the Kamatari revelations) tycoon on her tail. The dress she could make, but the man was getting harder to handle.

* * *

Kenshin struggled to maintain civil decorum as he addressed the woman sitting in front of him. Why was God punishing him like this? 

"The moon revolves around the sun."

"No it doesn't."

Kaoru stared at Kenshin.

"I know for a fact that the moon orbits around the Earth." He muttered.

"But technically it still orbits around the Sun." she persisted.

"That's not what you said."

"But it could be construed as such and therefore I am right."

"You're saying it like the Moon is an actual planet when it's just the Earth's moon. Nothing more." He reiterated making a slashing motion with his hand to emphasise his point.

"You're such a wiener, you know that?"

"A wiener? Like a sausage?"

"Like an annoying geek" she corrected dryly.

"That's the best you can come up with? Wiener? You're slipping Kamiya."

"Hardly. I felt that the word described this situation, particularly your personality among other things, exceedingly well."

"Resulting to name calling is that last defence of losing a battle my love."

"What battle? And here I thought we were having a chat."

"Don't kid yourself."

"I'm quite realistic about my circumstances Mr Himura." She returned haughtily.

"And now that I'm in the picture?" he enquired silkily.

"What picture? Who's picture? There is no picture."

"Oh honey you can't handle this." He soothed her annoyingly "Just accept it and we can both live our lives in peace."

"Oh _snookums_." She drawled "you have no idea." She slid her body next to his and breathed hot air on his ear. Normally Kenshin would have found this extremely annoying, but with Kaoru all he could picture was what it would be like to ravage those pink lips with his own.

"Is _this _what you mean?" she questioned her voice musical as she ran her hand lightly over his chest; his nipples had ignored his command to remain unaroused and peaked disobediently at her touch. Suddenly she wasn't there, here hands back at her sides as she observed him with a small secretive smile.

"You have to got to be kidding?" she laughed before walking away.

Kenshin stared after her. She was driving him crazy. She had played him like fool. His ear was still hot from where her breath had caressed it like a lover's soft gasp. His skin burned under his cotton shirt from the imprint of her hand on his chest. _Damn her._

He knew that she probably knew about the investigations he'd paid to have. _Damn Kamatari._ He'd probably told her. Kenshin often wondered how Kamatari had found out in the first place anyway. Most of the time he wanted to kiss her senseless and the rest of the time he wished she had a mute button. He was weirdly conflicted about his feelings for her. On one hand he liked spending time with her when her main purpose in life was not to make his life miserable. On the other hand he could never get her to be reasonable. It was as if his presence switched on her annoying factor she created just for him, besides he'd seen her interact with everyone else – around them she was great.

He loved watching as her ponytail bobbed up and down when she talked excitedly, when her hands gesticulated wildly as she explained things, or when her eye's lit up as she saw something for breakfast, lunch or dinner that she loved. These small observations left him wondering: _Did he have stronger feelings Kaoru Kamiya? More than any other woman he had encountered?_ As per usual the answer in his head had been no, yet his heart had said yes. He had led a strangely solitary existence. Two serious relationships and bunch of women he only took to parties every now and then had left him feeling inadequate in Kaoru's presence.

* * *

The next day Kenshin stood sedately in front the barbeque and idly slapped away a few flies as they attempted to sit on the food. 

"What's wrong with you?" The question asked unaccompanied by any other prior conversation to back up her query.

"What do you mean?" Kenshin responded carefully – he never knew where she was going withanything. Ever.

"I mean, you have a good job, good family, totally loaded – so what's the catch? Why don't you have a girlfriend?"

He noticed that she hadn't added good looking to his list of attributes. He wasn't an idiot; he knew he was better looking than the average male.

"I haven't found someone worth the time yet." He replied simply.

"So by that you mean…" she moved her hands in a circular motion prompting him to give her an explanation to his past non-relationships. He sighed.

"I had a bad relationship once." He revealed deeply. Only he knew how much admitting that had cost him.

"That's it? One bad one and you're like 'dude I am so done with women'?"

"No. One horrible experience when I was young left me forewarned. Why waste time knowing someone when they're only deceiving you."

"Whoa." She paused, her forehead furrowed in thought "that's cynical" she added. "So was she after your money?"

"Pretty much."

"Why not just try not thinking about how you think every woman is after your money and maybe you'll find that she's not."

Kenshin wrinkled his nose as he thought about what she'd said.

"I've never heard a more badly put together question."

"Stop trying to change the subject."

He chuckled at her forthright manner.

"I feel sad for you." She studied a dollop of margarine that had escaped off the knife and onto her knuckle.

"Why?" he laughed lightly.

"To not be able to love and care for others freely is just sad. When do you ever be yourself? Just completely let go and be carefree?"

Kenshin thought about it for a moment before replying. "When I'm with my family."

"On very very rare occasions are you guys altogether like this though."

He shrugged nonchalantly and flipped another burger on the barbeque.

"Do you sleep with one eye open?" she asked while carefully buttering a bun "Fidel Castro does."

"I'm not Fidel Castro."

"Pretty much the same restrictions apply though." She murmured thoughtfully.

"I'm not like Fidel Castro Kaoru."

"I know you're not like him – but that's not my point is it? And that's Miss Kamiya to you." She sniffed before striding away to the table with her freshly buttered buns.

He guessed he kind of was like Fidel Castro. They both never let their guard down, and the best moments of life were passing, of which he was simply an observer and never a participant.

* * *

"Did you have to go for that one?" she hissed from somewhere behind him. 

"Yes." his mild reply set her off again.

"You are the worst player I've ever had the misfortune to meet!"

"Actually Kao, he's pretty good" chimed in Kamatari unnecessarily.

"I'm sorry – were you invited to take part in this conversation?" she grunted trying to put her left foot on a yellow circle without falling. Kenshin blew his hair away from his face; the fringe was too close to his skin making him sweat unnecessarily.

"Right hand, Blue."

Kaoru attempted to place her left on the closes blue circle but to no avail. Instead she fell forward onto her face and her bottom ended up being high in the air.

Kenshin couldn't hold in his mirth any longer and dissolved with laughter onto the twister mat. Red faced, Kaoru righted herself and watched as his face lit up with genuine amusement at her predicament. Before she knew it, she was the laughing stock of the Himura household.

"Well at least I have a nice ass." She muttered.

In the midst of it she heard Yahiko mutter 'busu' among a few other things. She wasn't going to call him out for it, he was just a kid anyway – and if he really pushed her then she could always fall back on teasing him about Tsubame.

* * *

That night Kaoru had ended up watching Women's Murder Club with Megumi, Misao, Tsubame, Sae, Tae and Yahiko. She suspected he had been drawn into the series because Tsubame liked it. Moreover Kaoru retained control over the remote with an iron fist refusing to allow anyone else to touch it.

To be entirely honest Kaoru was not really watching the TV show with much interest. She was thinking about Kenshin and when he would approach her to ask about what her relationship with Kamatari was. She suspected that he had already asked Kamatari but there was absolutely no way he would allow her to leave this house without questioning her at length. He was such an enigma at times. His astute business mind seemed to work well on official business, and he seemed to be a man whose life revolved around the phrase 'all work and no play'. Then she'd found out about his love for animals. The horse he'd rescued, the dog he'd found in a rubbish bin who now lived with him and the list just kept going. Misao had discussed with her a lot about Kenshin. Actually it was more a one sided conversation where Misao talked and Kaoru listened. Everyone in the house was ganging up on her in the most unfair manner. Lost in her thoughts she didn't even notice Kenshin slide into a comfortable position next to her on the two seater couch until his warm leg settled against hers.

She whipped her head around to stare at him as he crossed his arms in avid concentration.

"There's a seat over there." She murmured in a low tone.

"And?"

"I like having space. Remember? Personal Space? Don't make me say it again."

"I won't. But I'm cold and you have a large blanket which I'm sharing with you. You know what they say about shared body heat." He rumbled rubbing his hands together.

Kaoru let go of the topic as everyone sitting in front of them made shushing noises in what she thought was a bit dramatic. A simple hand gesture would have sufficed. After the first program finished they all agreed on the next and the next until Kaoru drifted of to sleep without realising.

* * *

She was so comfortable. The warm cosy cocoon she was in felt so nice. It was like she in a warm fuzzy ball of contentment. It was funny that she could feel a wall at her back. There was no wall on either side of hers and Kamatari's bed. Flicking open one eye she groggily surveyed her surroundings before realising that she was actually in the entertainment room. As she attempted to get up she felt herself restrained by something. Looking down she felt an awful silence descend upon her. She and Kenshin had slept on the same couch. Together. In his arms. She had felt good about it too. She'd had a nice sleep, and now she was feeling the beginnings of a migraine. She needed to get away – now, before anyone saw them like this. She gingerly attempted to dislodge his arm from her waist but it was like a steel band. She leaned down over the couch towards the floor hoping that maybe he would let go when he felt that she was trying to get up. Instead his grip tightened hauling her back against his chest. He murmured and buried his face in her hair before falling back to sleep. That was it. Turning in his arms bit down on his shoulder. Hard. 

Kenshins eyes flew open immediately as he cried out in pain at her actions. He swayed on the couch before noticing that Kaoru was glaring at him. Her look was more like a snarl actually.

"You bit me." His voice was laced with surprise and sleepiness.

"You wouldn't let go!" she hissed.

"You could have woken me up!"

"I did!"

"But you bit me!"

"Oh please, you'll get over it."

"What happened to waking up people by saying their name? Or giving them a little shake?" he exclaimed in bewilderment.

"They don't apply to this situation!"

"Why not?"

"Because you wouldn't let go you lecher!"

"Lecher?"

"Stop repeating things, it makes you sound like a parrot!"

Kaoru and Kenshin hadn't realised that their conversation had actually turned into a shouting fit between the two of them which had drawn the attention of most of the Himura household. All bunched in the doorway to the entertainment room they watched the scene unfold with fascination. Kaoru and Kenshin had began arguing on the couch before they had both ended up rolling onto the floor trying to smother one another with bed linen. It was actually Kaoru who was attempting to assassinate, and Kenshin merely defended himself by trying to crawl away of hold her wrists away from his body.

It took a few moments for Kaoru to realise that they had an audience. Her facial expression was comical as she attempted to school an air of blank disinterest. Abruptly dropping the pillow she was about to use as a bat to bash Kenshin in the head, she stalked towards the door and away from the scene of her embarrassment. If anyone mentioned what had happened, she was going to intern them like it was 1945.

* * *

If you wish to review, tell me what you think and how I might be able to improve the story ;-) 

cheers,

Iuvenalis


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own Rurouni Kenshin :-s**

**I also do not own any lyrics by Turin Brakes**

* * *

**Strange Affliction**

**Chapter 5 – Rain City**

Kaoru stared at her empty suitcase for a moment before violently shutting it. It wasn't the suitcases fault that she was losing her common sense or her sanity. The compromising scene she had fled moments ago made her feel distinctly inadequate. What made her feel more incompetent was her reaction to the situation itself.

Kenshin was someone she had thought she could scorn with pithy remarks coupled with cold shoulders and general derision. She probably should have thought about it a little longer, perhaps then she would have realised that he had probably dealt with various people who treated him worse than she had. He had seemed so cold even indifferent before, and now he seemed warm even genial at times. She sought his company unknowingly and at times even enjoyed their comical banter. Even now she tried to deny it. Swift comprehension devoured her and it became completely obvious. She had _feelings_ for him.

Kaoru realised that her change in emotion had probably begun about the same time Kamatari had elucidated Kenshins reaction to the sexuality situation. He had been understanding. Above all he had provided Kamatari with support, care and responded with an optimal mixture of sensitivity and empathy.

That stupid story about the animals he'd rescued and his damn proximity. What had happened to the plan? The lets-keeps-away-from-himura-for-the-sake-of-sanity-among-other-things plan? Or the LKAFHFTSOSAOT plan for short.

Kaoru didn't really need this right now.

She 'slept' the whole flight over to Australia. Slept as in closed her eyes and pretended that she was when she actually wasn't.

Kaoru reflected on her prior philosophy and came to the conclusion that wiser thoughts could not have been considered as she realised that she would have to drive to Berry from the airport in Kenshins car. She watched as he loaded her luggage into the boot, his face grim at the weight of her suitcase. She stood confusedly to one side as he swapped the bags from one hand to the other. It only took a few moments before she recognised which arm was hurting and that it was most likely due to her behaviour from that morning. She had probably bitten him harder than she thought. It was all in the heat of the moment – besides she couldn't do anything about it now.

She also had a feeling that the conversation that she didn't want to have was about to take place.

"I had you investigated." Wow. He really did get to the point.

Kaoru stilled at his words. What exactly was this conversation meant to achieve? Kamatari and Kenshin had settled their differences negating the need for this discussion.

She remained silent under his scrutiny. He sighed.

"I'm not great at creating or maintaining relationships. I never claimed that I was, but the recent turn of events has highlighted the fact that I need to improve."

Kaoru decided she'd had enough.

"Why are you analysing it? For once in your life don't break everything down into itty little bits." She looked out the window and folded her arms. "Remember what I said about dating? Try not to think about _why_ women want to date you, and concentrate on actually being comfortable with yourself – and with them. Instead of trying to analyse all the issues and making resolutions or understanding the next few steps in the course of action _just be you._ That's the crux of the issue and you know it. You're so caught up in thinking about your surroundings and wondering what will happen ten steps ahead that your present becomes too complicated." Kaoru's lips thinned into a grim line of judgement.

Kenshin however, felt the need to defend himself.

"In my line of work it is only natural for me to analyse and forecast. _It's what I do_."

"You are not a weatherman Himura and you cannot apply the laws of business to relationships." She paused thoughtfully before regarding him in horror "Is that what you do?"

"No." Kenshin denied quickly. Too quickly apparently as Kaoru's eye's narrowed in speculation.

"Look I'm not saying that your personality is so heinous that you need to change everything about yourself. You are quite arrogant, stubborn and clinical in your approach to most situations – be they business or personal. You can be very dominating and you're very set in your opinions. You have little concern for others when you believe that you're right but the main thing that matters is this" she paused dramatically for effect "You care a great deal for those few people who actually manage to earn a place in your heart." With that little spiel over she folded her hands primly in her lap and nodded complacently. "Believe or not you actually have all the basic elements of a normal human being." She reassured him kindly.

"Well. I'm flattered."

"Really? I sort of insulted you and made minor slurs upon your character you know." She arched an eyebrow.

"That's your way."

Kaoru snapped her teeth together in irritation. He thought he was so smart.

"Well I don't really like you anyway." She lifted one shoulder with careless elegance.

"Mmm that's why we have such wonderful conversations."

"Are you mocking me?"

"No I'm being serious."

"I have – without a doubt – slighted you on pretty much every occasion we talk and you're telling me that you enjoy our conversations?" she asked incredulously.

"No one talks to me the way you do."

"So?"

"Most people are either afraid of me or don't have anything interesting to say. You insult me and have lots of interesting things." He changed gears effortlessly and negotiated the curves in the road with ease.

"Are you…look I promised I wouldn't tell anyone that you're a voyeur – and I haven't - so we've established that I'm like a vault when it comes to secrets. You can tell me anything…" She encouraged slyly.

"What do you mean?"

"Are you into S&M stuff?" she watched him from the corner of her eye.

Kenshin made a strangled sound which Kaoru attributed to his embarrassment and to the fact that she'd found out his big secret – though deep down she knew it wasn't true. She just wanted to watch him squirm.

"It's okay." She reassured him.

"I have _nothing_ to hide." He stated fiercely.

"I know, I know."

Kenshin was about to retaliate when he realised what she was doing. What she always did. Drawing attention away from herself by deliberately making outrageous allegations she probably didn't think were true anyway.

He sighed in exasperation before continuing.

"Look all I'm saying is that I'm sorry for having you investigated." He kept his eyes on the road even though he could feel her steady gaze on him "And I hardly ever apologise."

"For what it's worth – I'm sorry I bit you. Besides I've experienced worse things than being investigated. My anger was more on the part of Kamatari. He was more affected by it than I was – I had nothing to hide anyway."

"How come no one really knows about the work that you do?"

"I prefer to keep it under wraps. The whole world doesn't need to know about what I do in my spare time. There's nothing to be gained from others knowing about my charity. It seems too commercial when people know. Which is part of the reason why I was upset at being investigated."

Kenshin decided to ignore the jibe.

"But you would be able to let more people know about certain issues - possibly gain more funding and support that way as well."

"I'm not into the marketing side of things. I do what I can and it makes me happy. Can I ask you something?"

"Let's do it this way. For every question you ask me, I can ask you a question in return."

"Okeydoke. Question 1: Tell me about the woman who broke your heart – the story and her character." She clarified just in case.

"Okay. I'm not using names though." He didn't wait for her to agree "When I met her, I wanted her. That was simply it. There was something about her I'd never seen before. She had an aura which I can't describe. Her eye's spoke of an indescribable sadness, she was woe personified with a hint of hope. I was in love with her even before the introductions were finished. We were in a long term relationship and by the time I had realised that she didn't love me at all, she had cheated on me several times. In fact, I only knew about a few of her indiscretions. I doubt I knew about all of them."

"What did she look like?"

"She had short hair. Brunette. All these different colours shimmered through it. And her eyes." His voice was low "they were a light green like sunlight on jade. The funny thing is that in my head I knew that she didn't love me. But I listened to my heart. If I had done what was pragmatic and obvious to everyone but myself I could have saved myself some pain."

"She sounds very pretty – physically I mean."

"She was." The car slowed to 40 kilometres per hour as he prepared to turn through a hair pin bend. "Now, Question 2: what was your childhood like? What made you how you are today?"

"I was orphaned as a child. I was taken in by a charitable house, which wasn't so charitable. They had a system which went like this. You went to school during your primary years, and then you sat an internal exam just before high school and if you passed a certain mark then you continued, if you didn't then you were put to work. Usually in manual labour at the house or somewhere…somewhere else." She described vaguely. "I had some issues with this arrangement and escaped to find a job in a café – after lying about my age and then moved into a government housing unit. I worked and studied to support myself. It was hard, but I think that in order to appreciate all the better things in life, you need to have experienced the lows as well. While I was a teenager I met a man – Koushijirou Kamiya who taught me all I know about Kendo. I also took over his Dojo and assumed his name and position as his daughter. He was the best father I could have asked for. And then he passed away not long after I began my Higher School Certificate. After that I got a scholarship with the Whitehouse Design Institute which is where I met Kamatari. We got along great and around this time when I started to gain some acclaim, I involved myself in other charity work. As much as people like to believe that fashion takes up all my time – it doesn't. I have spare time so I help other when I can. That's it."

Kenshin nodded slowly. He had a feeling that she had omitted a few details but there was plenty of time to find out later.

"Okay – question 3: Do you have any musical interests?"

"Sure, I'm pretty eclectic in my tastes. I listen to Elton John, The Beatles, Toto, Powderfinger, Silverchair, Alicia Keys etc etc."

"I love Powderfinger." Exclaimed Kaoru excitedly "I've been to all their concerts AND I was really into rock stuff during my high school years. I used to wear band shirts under my school shirts." She reminisced.

Kenshin chuckled "I don't have any band shirts but I've been to a few concerts. I went to the Bee Gees concert not a while back."

"I'm not so into the Bee Gee's but I do like some of their music. You should listen to 30 Seconds to Mars – you'd like them."

"What are they?"

"Mostly Rock. And The Presets are great too – you've probably heard a few of their songs before."

Kenshin gave her a blank look.

"You know - My People? Oh god. I'm definitely making you a CD."

"I haven't had much time to really indulge myself of late."

"Music is like food for the soul." She implored before groaning and falling back in her seat. "You have much to learn."

"I never said I knew everything."

"Uh need I remind of garden trivia day?"

"Alright so I was a bit cocky. I was in a different state of mind then, compared to now."

She snorted softly in an unladylike manner before grinning and looking out the window. Being friendly with Kenshin might not actually be so bad after all.

They spent the rest of the 3 hour drive up talking about other things they were both interested in.

"You have a whole ranch of horses?" asked Kaoru in amazement before realising that she should try and restrain her enthusiasm a little. "I mean heaps of people have horses – it's no biggie."

Kenshin pressed his lips together with effort, trying not to laugh.

"I'll take you there. The ranch at Berry is quite nice. Smaller than usual but I'm sure you'll like at least one horse and we can go for a ride."

"Do you ride often?" her curiosity got the better of her.

"Whenever I'm near my ranches – yes."

"Misao said that you had a passion for animals in general."

"Mmm I like dogs. As a companion I love them. Cats are okay but I'm allergic to them so that's probably why I haven't had many in the past. And if you look to your right you will see the border of our countryside winery and ranch."

Kaoru leaned across eagerly to get a better view steadying herself by placing a hand on his thigh. The scenery was very pretty. Rolling green meadows, columns of wine grapes with quaint little cottages here and there. The long winding driveway ended in front a large country house made of wood. Kaoru loved it. The timber was a deep mahogany colour, double story with a veranda surrounding both levels of the house. In Kaoru's opinion, it was, without a doubt a superb vision of country architectural genius – and she hadn't even seen the inside yet.

As they climbed out of their car, Kenshin realised that no one else had reached the house yet.

"You must have broken every speed limit to get here this quickly. The only time you followed the limit was when there was a speed camera at the bottom of the hill 10 minutes back." She thumbed over her shoulder.

"Speeding is unfortunately a bad habit of mine."

"Must be all those fast cars you have." She teased.

"I didn't say it." he shut his car door "I'll give you a tour of the house first." Unlocking the front door he gestured for her to precede him though the entrance.

Kaoru's artistic eye observed the hand carved balustrades, stain glass and motifs gracing ceiling of the centre of the room. The house smelt distinctly of heady earthiness and lumber with a bit of eucalyptus. It was lovely.

"I bought this property when I was in Berry about 15 years ago. I never really spent much time here until the city became too much.

"Would I be right if I guessed that you discovered the benefits of a simple country life _after_ you first amour?"

"How very astute of you."

The stairs were solid wood and wide just the way she liked them. She hated those steps that were steep – you could never walk on them. She recalled the steps inside the Notre Dame church she had visited in France. Now they were _steep_. The house consisted of 10 bedrooms each sharing an ènsuite with another room.

He wondered how he would inform her that _they_ would be sharing a bathroom. He'd leave that until later.

Approaching a room towards the middle of the house he opened the door and walked in.

"This is your room. And there" he pointed to a wide berthed door to his left "is the entrance to your shared bathroom."

The bathroom was preceded by a mini changing area. It had a little wooden dresser and a covering screen.

"This is really lovely. Thank You."

"You're welcome. Now I'm going to get our luggage out of the car and then see if I can rustle up something quick and easy for afternoon tea."

Before Kaoru could respond he had strode from the room, his light steps echoing faintly up the empty hall.

Putting her mobile in her pocket she followed him down a few minutes later to find their luggage in the hall and Kenshin in absentia. She made her way into the large kitchen and hunted around in the walk in pantry for some snacks.

"There aren't any snacks."

Kaoru swallowed a small scream and spun around to see Kenshin lounging in the pantry entrance.

"Do you like scones?" he asked reaching past her for self raising flour and salt.

"Yes. Why?"

"I'll make some for afternoon tea. They should be ready by the time everyone gets here. Can you ask Hetty for some fresh milk? Then I can make some fresh cream." He murmured absently while trying to find some homemade butter in the fridge.

_Who's Hetty?_ The unspoken question hung in the air. Then it clicked together in Kaoru's mind.

"Are you asking me to _ask a cow_ if I can milk her?"

"Oh Hetty will treat you fine. Trust me."

Trudging outside with gumboots on Kaoru eyed 'Hetty' with slight apprehension.

"Look Hetty. I've never done this before. So let's just get this over with really quickly alright. I'm going to milk you and I'll be done in like 5 minutes okay? Cool?"

Hetty blew air on Kaoru's shoulder and chewed on her grass with slow enthusiasm. It seemed that as far as Hetty was concerned this conversation was of very little interest to her. Grabbing the little stool, Kaoru sat down and reached for Hetty's teat while simultaneously hoping for the best.

Meanwhile Kenshin rubbed the butter and flour together adding some salt and milk, slowly mixing ingredients into soft fluffy dough. You couldn't actually press on the scone dough too much otherwise you would lose all the precious air inside that made scones so nice and soft but heavy at the same time.

He had expected some sort of argument from Kaoru about milking Hetty but she had been uncharacteristically good natured about it. Just he finished that thought Kaoru came back through the door. Her knees were covered in what looked like mud – but it was actually poo. The front of her shirt was covered in milk.

"I'm guessing Hetty made a boo boo?"

"A boo boo? A spelling mistake is a boo boo. This" she pointed fiercely to her knees "is what you call a poo poo."

"You must have pulled too hard when you were milking her. She's never like that with me." He reasoned.

She scoffed at this before smacking the tin of milk on the counter and going upstairs to change. He was surprised that he hadn't been physically harmed. In actual fact Kaoru had almost felt like laughing. She had an epiphany. He's sent her out there to get her back for when she'd thrown the water bomb at him and taken pictures as well. She guessed now they were even on that score.

"You did that deliberately didn't you?"

"I refuse to answer that question on the grounds that it may incriminate me." He glanced at her face and noticed her blank expression. He realised that she had two blank expressions. One when she really didn't understand the situation and another when she wanted to intimidate someone. This expression was of the latter variety.

"Hetty has been known to have loose bowels when anyone tries to milk her." He admitted.

"I had the foresight to sit a little away from her backside. Thank god." She grimaced.

She watched him carefully place the scones in the oven and start the auto mixer which would beat the milk until it became nice and creamy.

Hearing the sounds of engines approaching the house Kaoru felt a strange pang of disappointment that she wouldn't be able to talk with Kenshin alone for a little longer. She shoved down the feelings of regret and went outside to greet the rest of the family.

Everyone enjoyed the scones and damn who knew that Kenshin Himura could bake like a pro. The scones were _heavenly._ By the time everyone had finished eating and had a brief walk around the farm, they were all ready for bed, tired from almost a full day of non-stop travelling. Kenshin however was still wanting to know more about Kaoru's childhood, or lack there of. He waited until an opportune moment presented itself. He had been watching her all evening, with those eyes – they saw too much. Kaoru knew he wanted to know something but she never imagined it would be this. He kept edging towards the subject of her childhood, but she had always been able to artfully change the subject. Finally giving in Kaoru wondered at his persistence. Of what interest was her past life to him?

"It wasn't the best childhood Kenshin. You're smart – you figure it out." It was too early for this discussion. Or maybe it was too late? She didn't know anymore.

_Opened my eyes had a dream last night_

_That both my arms were broken_

_Evening time_

"Is it that hard for you to speak about it?" his voice full of concern "Wouldn't you feel better talking about it?" he questioned softly.

"Not necessarily." she sighed. They were both sitting on a wooden bench overlooking the dam. She got up and paced restlessly.

_Help me now, hold me down,_

_I feel my world is Tumbling_

_Spiral down._

"I guess you could say that they placed us in unsavoury environments."

Kenshin remained silent. It sounded like _unsavoury_ was a very mild description of what she was attempting to describe.

She nodded slowly, her back stiff as she looked out over the dam into the queer darkness.

_As I make my way through the centuries,_

_As I slowly turn to Hells dust,_

_Tumbling down_

"We didn't know any better than what we were told at the time. I wasn't very smart either. But I learned very quickly." She grimly crossed her arms to ward off the cold as the first few drops of rain fell down. It was simply a misty fall of water, nothing more.

_The rain comes down like a victory_

_In sheets of shining memories_

_Over and over circling around_

He remembered her words from earlier that day. _'I had issues with this arrangement…I escaped…"_

"Were you…Is that what happened to you?" he was almost too afraid to ask.

"Yes." She answered shortly "I hate it when it rains." Her voice was soft and full of sadness.

_Almost too much for my heart_

_When it rains, oh tears my soul apart_

_When it rains, it rains so slowly_

_In the city where I'm from._

* * *

Did Kenshin & Kaoru become friends too quickly?

Tell me everything - the good, the bad & the ugly :-)

Thank You to all my reviewers! You've been great - I appreciate every little word you have to say about my story's!

cheers,

Iuvenalis.


	6. Chapter 6

**I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any other works quoted within this chapter ;-)**

* * *

**Strange Affliction**

**Chapter 6 – My Friend**

_My friend, thou art not my friend, but how shall I make thee understand? My path is not thy path, yet together we walk, hand in hand._

_-Kahlil Gibran_

Misao was not one to remain steady in a blowing wind. She heeded the weather and acted accordingly, but not always with tact or discretion. On this occasion however, her attempts to remain studiously correct were admirable.

"Kamatari." It was more of a statement that anything.

"Misao." He responded accordingly, though he had a little smile on his face.

"Have you seen Kenshin and Kaoru lately?" Kamatari returned his attention to the pattern work in his hand for inspiration.

"They're getting along well, aren't they?" Misao nodded and absently rubbed the velvet material on the desk without any real thought.

"She's so nice. But I feel like she's had a hard life. She has hasn't she?" she demanded shrewdly.

"What makes you say that?" Kamatari prevacariated, never one to give the game away too quickly.

"Her eyes."

Kamatari halted his work.

"Her _eyes_?"

"Yeah." She agreed softly "they're wise."

Kamatari hummed a sound which was neither, an agreement or a repudiation of her remark.

"Well, she certainly is different." He commented as Megumi, Sae, and Tae strolled in, all with matching mugs in their hands.

"Don't I get any tea?" he complained.

"No." responded Megumi shortly.

"Well then." Sniffed Kamatari "this isn't some ladies chat room."

"Oh please. You want to gossip just as much as we do, so can it." Megumi quipped.

"I was just talking about Kaoru!" Misao enthused.

"Kenshin and Kaoru are getting along really well aren't they?" Tae commented. Megumi and Sae hummed their agreements.

"Let's face it – Kenshins track record with women hasn't been the best since Tomoe." Sae grimaced and blew into her hot tea.

"I think you mean non-existent." Commented Megumi dryly.

"Well he does have his occasional paramours." Sae attempted to defend Kenshin, albeit very badly.

"Paramours? Let's be honest and label them for what they are – friends with benefits."

"Fuck buddies!" Kamatari exclaimed snapping his fingers together.

"Nice Kamatari." Megumi inserted dryly.

"What?" Kamatari shrugged.

"Well, I think they're getting off to a fine start. They've spent a lot of time together over the last two weeks." Tae sniffed her tea appreciatively.

"I think we should leave them alone together more often." Commented Sae slyly.

"Me too!" exclaimed Tae excitedly. They both high fived each other theatrically at their combined brilliance. Megumi rolled her eyes.

"It will look _really_ obvious if you do." Megumi pointed out "Anything you two do is obvious – even with extensive planning."

* * *

Kaoru glanced over the design boards for Tomoe's wedding dress repeatedly. There was something wrong with the details and she couldn't see it – probably because she'd been looking at the same few things for the last 2 hours. She heard the door to her little office slide open, followed by slow cautious steps. _Kenshin._

"Hey." He leaned on the tilted light desk next to her.

"Hey." Kaoru replied glumly.

"Someone's in an upbeat mood." He smiled at her dull response.

"There's something wrong with this dress." She complained.

Kenshin leaned over her shoulder to gain a better view of her design boards. His chin resting on her shoulder as he contemplated the images in front of him. He smelt like cologne. A really nice cologne. She hated it when men drowned themselves in cologne, and she applied the same rule to women: too much perfume was just tacky. Kenshin however, smelt _good._ The scent just wafted within a hairs breadth of her nose, tantalisingly citrus and soft. She felt like turning her head and resisted the temptation with all her strength while simultaneously cursing an unknown higher power that was making her life difficult.

She cleared her throat and leaned forward to rest her chin on her left hand in an attempt to dislodge his comfortable pose. It worked, and she sighed inwardly with relief. Instead he dragged over another high chair and leaned on the desk to study the images again. His leg shifted slowly crossing under and over hers beneath the table to rest on the foot ledge. Her legs were now effectively trapped within his and she could feel the warmth emanating from his skin through his jeans.

"I think a corset might be nicer." He watched her carefully.

"At the back?" she asked in surprise.

"Yeah. See – like this one." he pointed to another dress design she had disregarded. "But if you're going to a more simple design then – the straight dress thing looks pretty good." He pointed towards a design she had made which had been inspired by Carolyn Biset Jones' very own wedding dress.

"Yeah I see where you're coming from." Kaoru murmured "See I think a more simplistic style will suit her better. I mean she's elegant, and a simple beautiful creation would sit better on her. But I made this one" she pointed toward the more modern bridal design "by looking at some of her more daring and unusual dresses." Kenshin nodded.

"When you guys were dating, what was she like?" Kaoru asked before realising it. If she wasn't meant to know then Kenshin gave no sign of it.

"She was very laid back. I'll be honest and say she was a very good girlfriend. She never made huge demands on my time. She was understanding about my work commitments.

"She broke up with you didn't she?"

"Yes. Most people think it was mutual – or that I told her to let everyone think it was, but Tomoe was never a woman to come in second best to anything. No woman should ever feel that way. If a man is to marry a woman or even consider dating in a serious context, then it should be because this person is their first commitment in life. And while we were a perfect match in a business environment, and personally we had become good friends, she knew I didn't love her the way a man should love a woman."

Kaoru nodded, unsure of what else she should say.

"I think this one would suit her best." He whispered in her ear, his breath hotly caressed her skin.

Kaoru looked down at the design in his hand. It was a simple sleeveless one piece falling silk gown. The back was deep almost down to the base of her spine – but it was magnificent.

"Me too." Kaoru agreed, her voice barely audible.

They both heard loud hurried footsteps approaching the room before Kamatari burst in unceremoniously announcing that they would have to use a 2 percent thread silk cut on a bias if they wanted to have any hope of achieving that curling effect for the rose bouquets.

If Kamatari had noticed their intimate position, then he didn't give a hint of it. He simply bustled in shooing Kenshin away, claiming that fashion geniuses needed to work and businessmen were not needed on said project.

Kenshin merely chuckled and strolled away whistling happily. At this point Kamatari did stop and stare after his elder brother before staring intensely at Kaoru. Startled, Kaoru blinked and gripped the table.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"Chosen the design yet?" He asked instead of interrogating her like his curiosity had initially demanded. Kaoru nodded and handed him the design board. Kamatari gasped.

"It's perfect! She's going to love love love it!"

Kaoru laughed at Kamatari's reaction. Even though she'd seen it before, it was a novel experience every time she saw it.

"We'll need to find Tomoe and show her our best designs to see which one she wants." Commented Kaoru as she gathered their chosen designs.

"Mmm, but she'll probably go with this one." He indicated towards the simple one Kenshin had chosen earlier.

"I'll be happy to give her my opinion." She shrugged.

"I'll call her now." Kamatari raced away. It had seemed that their initial family trip had now turned into a bridal party organisation instead. Kaoru didn't mind. Normally she would advise the bride on the dress only, and keep her relationship as professional as possible – meaning she didn't become friends with anyone in the wedding party. For some reason, now she wanted to know Tomoe. She wanted to see what it was about her, that had compelled Kenshin to date her for 5 years. Moreover why she was the _only_ woman he had ever really dated with serious intentions.

Although that shouldn't have been any element of her motivations, it was. She didn't want to lie to herself – it would only make matters worse in the end.

Her mindless blithering about her own weakness regarding Kenshin was interrupted when Kamatari returned with Tomoe in tow.

"Hi Kaoru." She greeted softly. Even her voice was pretty.

"Hey Tomoe, how was the trip over?"

"Long." She nodded in response. "So, where are these designs, that I've been hearing so much about." She was breathless with excitement.

"Before I show you. I'll talk to you about what we aimed for. Although I don't know you personally I studied some media shots of various dresses you've worn over the years and come up with 2 designs." Kaoru held up two fingers to signify how many. "This one, is a tribute to all the more modern designs you've worn."

Tomoe hummed appreciatively. "It's unlike any of the ones I saw in the bridal stores I visited." She ran her fingers over the lines of the dress, studying each angle of the design with concentration. When she was done, she turned and looked at Kaoru.

"The second one?"

Kaoru wordlessly handed over the second one, which was the design Kenshin had chosen.

Tomoe gasped, her eyes roved over the design with pleasure.

"It's perfect. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. I mean the other one was lovely, and unique – but this…" she trailed off as she once again became absorbed with looking at the design board "this is just exquisite."

"It's the one I was leaning towards." Kaoru smiled in response. "But I'm glad you favour this one – so now we have a physical goal to work towards."

"Oh Kaoru – It's simply wonderful." She breathed "Can I keep it?" she asked shyly.

"Of course" Kaoru grinned "I have it scanned on my computer."

They spent the next hour discussing which materials would best suit the design of the dress and the shape of Tomoe's figure. Kaoru drew on her years of experience and Tomoe was impressed with her knowledge.

"I was a bit apprehensive with choosing this avenue to make my dress." She admitted. Kaoru nodded in understanding. "I was going to use one of my friend's designers, but they all had these other ideas, and I wasn't sure how to tell them 'thanks, but not thanks'."

"The wedding process is a trying one. Especially for the bride." Kaoru sighed.

"I did some research on you." Tomoe revealed shortly. Kaoru threw her a weary look.

"Yeah?"

"I didn't know that you had designed for so many well known people."

"I don't design for just anyone."

"I'm sorry you were forced into this."

"But I wasn't. I was more than happy to design this dress for you. No one can force me to do something I don't want to."

"I noticed," Kaoru looked at her enquiringly. Tomoe cleared her throat delicately. "I noticed that Kenshin favours you company quite a lot."

"He was weary of me – which is only natural." Kaoru shrugged indifferently. She didn't really want to have this conversation, especially with Kenshin's ex.

"Yes but you two are friends now. Right?"

"I guess so."

"He never voluntarily spent time with me Kaoru."

"Did you ever think that Kenshin took you for granted?" Kaoru retaliated mildly.

"No. He just didn't think much of spending time with me. But he seeks your company." She stressed the last part as if it was a really big deal.

"Well, if Kenshin feels comfortable around me then, that's great. More than happy to be his friend."

"I don't think you understand. He never voluntarily seeks female company for friendship."

"Mmm." Kaoru valiantly tried to sound non-committal. She heard Tomoe sigh.

"If everything that I've heard about you is right Kaoru, then you won't allow this relationship to fail." Kaoru decided she'd had enough.

"What happens if I don't want to date Kenshin? What about how _I_ feel?" Tomoe smiled.

"If I didn't think that you felt the same way about Kenshin then I wouldn't have bothered having this conversation with you."

Kaoru resisted rolling her eyes in exasperation, and Tomoe noticed her impatient movements.

"Everyone wants you to be with Kenshin because they respect you, and see what you apparently don't."

"And what, pray tell, would that be?" Kaoru barely managed to suppress her sarcasm.

"That Kenshin has placed himself on the line by courting you – even if it has been very mild. This is a very big step for him. To open his mind and his heart to another woman." Kaoru remained silent.

"That woman really screwed him up didn't she?"

"He told you about her?" Kaoru gathered from Tomoe's shocked expression that this was apparently an even bigger deal.

"Well sure. We talked about it, and talked about relationships etc." Tomoe stared at her before biting her lip in apprehension.

"Kenshin deserves happiness Kaoru. And you can give that to him."

Kaoru finished tidying her desk and faced Tomoe.

"Don't tell anyone this." She inhaled deeply "I do think I have _some_ feelings for Kenshin. But I can't rush this. If something were to transpire between us, it would take time. I can't promise anything else."

Tomoe smiled softly, and Kaoru saw that quiet beauty which she had heard so much about.

"Kenshin is lucky to have you." Tomoe stated softly.

Now Kaoru was confused. Her earlier decision of admitting that she had feelings for Kenshin was very different to admitting to Tomoe that she could have an intimate relationship with him. What was wrong with the world?

Yes she did feel lonely at times, but relationships required work, effort and time – and before now, she just couldn't really be bothered. This was why she found it aggravating when she day dreamed about Kenshin – his hands, his mouth…

Her prior relationships had not been great. Great was possibly a really bad description. Her past acquaintances were not worthy of anything: her time or her thoughts. But more often than not, she did think about her childhood.

Did she deserve to be treated like that? Why was it that she had to be born into such a strange universe?

_I find it kind of funny_

_I find it kind of sad_

_The dreams in which I'm dying_

_Are the best I've ever had_

_It's a very very mad world._

She had often watched mothers and fathers waving their children of to school and felt odd. Distinctly removed from their circle of love and contentment. Was it her fault that she wasn't good at arithmetic and all those things which society used to deem her a failure? It was these societal norms that had sent her into hell, only to survive.

She wondered whether her life would have been different, if she hadn't passed her junior exams and had been placed in labour instead of going to high school. She wondered.

It was strange that as an outsider, Tomoe noticed the attention that Kenshin paid Kaoru and Kamatari had not sat down and discussed with her at length how to seduce Kenshin.

Instead he had decided to ignore the subject altogether – though she realised the questions and thoughts would accumulate in his mind until he could no longer take it. Then she would most likely find herself on the receiving end of a very long inquisition. Right now she felt like talking to Kenshin. She wanted everything clarified. _What exactly were they doing?_

* * *

Kamatari sat on the wooden swinging chair and pondered the recent turn of events. Kenshin was taking steps in a new direction – towards Kaoru. He felt joy at the thought that two people he cherished greatly might find happiness with each other. At the same time, he would be losing the one person who had shared his triumphs and losses through the trials and tribulations of life. He couldn't give her up to just anyone, and just as Sae had pointed out before; Kenshin didn't have a very good track record with women.

He wanted Kaoru to have the very best future – she deserved it. And even if she never talked much about her past, he knew that she had suffered. After being subjected to physical abuse during her childhood and struggling to gain education during her teenage years, he wanted her to be happy. He wasn't supposed to know about it. He had only found out after he had to rush her to her doctor after she had collapsed from a high fever.

The doctor had kindly explained Kaoru's past, and why her body was now so weak. After being beaten so much, certain organs were no longer operating at full capacity. In fact he had expressly forbidden Kaoru from engaging in intense physical exercise. He had been extremely careful not to jump near her last time when they had been jumping on the trampoline. He knew that she wouldn't decline jumping on it – that would have alerted Misao's suspicions.

He saw x-rays of her broken bones, pictures of her battered body and bruises on her neck from where her ward manager had attempted to strangle her. These cases were kept under wraps because the government didn't want to be held accountable. They didn't want to admit that they had no control over their own departments.

These children had been neglected and unloved from the moment they were born. Instead of escaping and forgetting about her hellish past, she conquered her nightmare and created a better future for others. She had this unfathomable strength; he had immense respect for Kaoru. He often wished he could be more like her.

"I noticed that you didn't say anything when Sae, Tae and Megumi were talking about getting Kenshin and Kaoru together." Even though everyone thought Misao was a ditz, in reality she was actually more observant.

Kamatari hung his head and looked at his knees as the wooden swing sung back and forth.

"It's not that I don't agree, Misao. I just have certain reservations." He sighed.

"Like what?"

"Like it's none of your business."

"Do you think that Kenshin doesn't deserve Kaoru?"

"No." _and at the same time yes_, he thought.

"I think he's changing Kam."

"Well that's not good enough." Kamatari asserted sternly.

"He told Kaoru about _her_." Kamatari stopped swinging and faced Misao in shock.

"Are you serious?"

"Yep." Misao grinned in triumph "I heard her telling Yukishiro about it."

"No way." Kamatari trailed off in surprise.

Misao didn't know why everyone tip toed around the topic. Everyone knew about it but they all pretended that they didn't. At least Kaoru was honest about it and that alone displayed that Kenshin was serious about pursuing her. He _never_ revealed that period of his life to anyone, least of all someone who had only met a few weeks ago: unless he had deep feelings for them.

Misao was ecstatic about it. She felt bad about his life, constantly sacrificing his personal time to make their family business work so they could all live comfortably. Not to mention that her main love interest happened to work with Kenshin. She wanted him to find someone special so she could pursue her love interest without guilt.

She guessed that it was a pretty selfish reason, but she also wanted Kenshin to find someone who could make him open up a bit more. Someone who could handle his dominant and somewhat arrogant yet well meaning attitude effortlessly. Someone like Kaoru.

* * *

It's all getting a bit serious now...

Tell me what you think - the good, the bad, the ugly!

If you feel something is lacking, or something doesn't make sense - put it in a review, otherwise I won't know about it!

cheers,

Iuvenalis.


	7. Chapter 7

**I do not own Rurouni Kenshin :-)**

**Strange Affliction**

**Chapter 7 – Perseverance and Perspicacity**

In hindsight, Kaoru couldn't believe that she'd admitted to Tomoe that she had feelings for Kenshin. It was a very uncharacteristic thing for her to do; normally she was so suspicious of everyone. If it was up to her she would even have had one guy who had wanted to date her arrested. It was only at Kamatari's behest that she hadn't called the police. He had thought the man's deluded perseverance was charming in a very idiotic way. Kaoru had a feeling he just wanted to watch her prospective love interests make fools of themselves.

Talking with Kenshin was always fraught with verbal landmines. Even though she had been candid in the beginning, he had still liked her. Now because she liked him, his opinion actually meant something to her.

Distant low angry voices broke her mental conversation. Two people were having a very quick and angry verbal exchange, though she couldn't really hear clearly. She wasn't normally one to eavesdrop or break into someone's office and steal documents. Since she had already indulged in the latter, why not the former? Besides she was sure that one of the voices belonged to Kamatari – the other persons voice was too low to make out.

Opening the door to her balcony carefully, she crawled through and sat near the railings.

"I can't promise anything." That was Kenshin's voice!

"Well then, if Kaoru asks me, I'll tell her that I'm not sure whether you will be able to provide her with the type of relationship she deserves." Kamatari responded hotly.

Kaoru's eyebrows shot up at the anger in his voice. Kamatari was silly, clever, tricky, difficult but never angry.

"What you're asking for is ridiculous." Kenshin sighed. "How can I promise that Kaoru will be happy if we start dating? She may find that she doesn't want to date me in a serious context." He pointed out patiently.

"I won't allow you to hurt her." Kamatari's voice was tight with anger.

"I won't hurt her intentionally." Kenshin responded. He sounded like he was trying to be as patient as possible. But his tolerance was wearing thin, and Kaoru could hear it in his tone.

She didn't know that Kamatari felt so strongly about her happiness. It warmed her heart, but she also felt exasperation at his heavy handed treatment. She had been through worse, she could handle this.

She heard Kamatari stride away quickly – probably with an angry look on his face. Looking over the side of the balcony, she saw the top of Kenshin's head. He appeared to be looking down at the ground in thought.

"You can come down Kaoru."

Kaoru snapped away from the railings reflexively. Slipping her head through the wide wooden slat railings, she looked down at him, to find his face upturned in her direction. Biting her lip she sat down properly.

"I'm sorry I eavesdropped."

Kenshin grinned, she sounded like a little girl who been caught with her hand in the lolly jar.

"It's okay. If people were talking about me I would have listened." He smiled folding his arms casually.

"So." She gripped the slats on either side of her head.

Kenshin raised his eyebrows questioningly.

She blew at her wayward fringe in frustration at his silence.

"Don't you want to date me?" He asked.

She looked up in surprise. She really shouldn't have been – he was always direct, even from the first moment they had met.

"If you don't, I'll try and change your mind." He continued easily, and she rolled her eyes.

"Take it easy." She laughed, looking at the moon as it hung in the sky.

"What's it to be?"

"You want me to answer now?" she blinked.

He watched her unflinchingly.

"I'll be waiting." With that said, he strode into the house.

_Great._ Her heart had instantly flip flopped at the idea of dating him. Her heart had wanted it, and her mind had cautioned her, though she sensed that there was a latent sense of want.

Hearing a knock at her door, she opened it cautiously and poked her head out when saw no one. Strolling into the hall she found no one near the stairs either. As she turned back to her room she collided with someone.

_Kenshin._

"What – what are you doing?" she whispered.

"Saying goodnight." She could feel his chest rumble as he spoke, she was pressed up against him so tightly.

"Goodnight." She whispered.

His mouth hovered near hers for a moment before he placed a light kiss on each of her eyelids and on the corner of her mouth.

"Goodnight." He whispered before slipping away to his room, his door swinging shut with an almost inaudible click.

Kaoru sagged on the railings near the stairs for support. His lips had been so soft and gentle. His eyes had held no demands; they were simply taking small pleasures. She sighed and walked into her room for what she hoped would be a good sleep, though she already knew they would be plagued with images of Kenshin. She hoped he would be sleeping as less as her. _Damn him and his addictive ways._

* * *

At breakfast, Kaoru watched Kenshin from the corner of her eye.

"Kaoru love. You're not eating much." Kamatari commented in a worried tone.

"I'm just feeling a little full – ate too much for dinner." She smiled uneasily, and her stomach twisted in a knot. She didn't like lying to Kamatari, but she had to sit down and reason with him before she even took one step in Kenshins direction.

Many people would think it too careful of Kaoru to want Kamatari to be happy with her choice, whatever it was, but he had been a rock in her later years. In his own quirky way he had shown her his love and helped her out of her shell. And the current situation involved her _possibly_ dating his brother.

Everyone was slowly filtering away from the table which left only Kaoru and Kamatari.

"What's wrong?" Kamatari asked once everyone had dissipated.

"I just – shhh your brother hears everything." She frowned grumpily. "He's like a piranha with an elephant's brain."

Kamatari chuckled at the description.

"What's he done now?" Kamatari's tone was carefully playful, but she sensed the concern weaved through his words.

"I -" she sighed "I like him Kam."

"In what way?" he idly lifted the spoon of his cereal and let the milk fall into the bowl with large splats. His face was grim.

"As in, I think that" she paused thoughtfully "he's nice, kind, thoughtful and gentle" she added as an afterthought.

"And?" he muttered.

"And I'm thinking about dating him." Kamatari slumped in his seat.

"Real dating?" she privately wondered what other type of dating there could be.

"Real dating" she confirmed, and he slumped even further in his seat.

"I don't-"lips pursed in thought he continued "He's not worthy of you Kaoru."

"He's your brother. His hard work has allowed you to pursue your own dreams free from obligation Kamatari."

"I'm not saying he hasn't got good attributes." He inserted quietly.

"Did you ever think that maybe Kenshin sacrificed his own personal goals so everyone else could have theirs? Megumi could become a doctor because of him, Yahiko attends the best high school, Tsubame as well, Tae and Sae have equal shares in the family business allowing their children to be well taken care of in the future. What hasn't he done for this family?" Kaoru was surprised at the vehemence in her tone.

"He is the best elder brother, friend and confidante one could possibly ask for. I'm not questioning that." He defended.

"What are you saying then?" Kaoru shot back quietly.

"His dating record leaves much to be desired. He won't intentionally hurt you, but it will happen. He's too absorbed in his work – you know what happened with Tomoe." He pleaded softly.

"I know what happened – but that's all in the past – besides we haven't even gotten that far yet. If we do, then I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Okay?"

"I'm not changing your mind am I?"

"Kamatari if I didn't care for your good opinion at all, I would have gone ahead and dated Kenshin without telling you."

"I know."

"Then you need to understand that there are worse things that can happen than Kenshin and I deciding that we're not suited to one another at some point down the track."

Kaoru leaned over and kissed his temple.

"You'll always be my number one guy – okay?"

"Always?" he asked in a small voice.

"Always." She smiled back.

Kamatari sat and scratched absently at a long wooden grain in the deep oak table. He was alone. He could feel the isolation slowly creeping over his heart. He didn't want to lose her. It was a weird type of possession he felt, and it wasn't the type a person felt for their lover, but a deep impenetrable bond for someone who had given them something no one else could.

He looked out the window and found Kenshin watching him intently. Kamatari stared back unfazed.

_I'll be watching you Kenshin…_

* * *

Misao laughed breathlessly as she slowed her horse to a gentle canter and almost dropped the reigns when she noticed a particular stoic figure leaning against the stables.

He was listening to something Kenshin was saying with a richly blended look of bland disinterest. His blue eyes roved the countryside and rested momentarily on Misao. He gave her a faint nod before returning his attention to the conversation.

Her heart slowed fleetingly as he looked at her. Her heart thumped erratically before she realised that he might be staying for a while, at which point she could almost feel it slow down. Yes, she would break down that cold icy exterior, piece by piece.

"Watcha looking at?" stage whispered Kaoru.

Misao tightened her lips, casting Kaoru a dirty look. "Some of us actually _have_ to do the work when it comes to dating." Kaoru chuckled.

"It wasn't all easy in the beginning. You have to admit that." Kaoru prodded. It was also a little disconcerting that everyone in the house appeared to have knowledge of her and Kenshin's budding romance.

"Yeah yeah I guess. At least Kenshin talks – Aoshi is a" she paused, searching for the correct word to describe the stoic man "a glacier."

"He's a natural creation made of ice?"

"Exactly!" Misao latched on enthusiastically "He's a beautiful cold island isolated by his icy exterior, and floats from one place to another quietly, _but deadly._" Her eyes slitted as she described him.

"Deadly? I thought he was Kenshin's chief financial officer."

"Precisely," Kaoru nodded, not quite understanding from where the deadly description was being derived.

"Just look at his eyes." A look of yearning passed over Misao's face "They're incredible."

Kaoru looked but she couldn't really see them, though she knew that usually when a person was in love they more often than not embellished their loved ones attributes; which, was clearly what Misao was doing.

Kaoru watched the two men converse. Kenshin was so short compared to Aoshi. He just cleared her head in kitten heels. As if sensing that he was being watched he turned and unerringly found her gaze, pinning her with his own. He smiled at her before continuing on his way.

Kenshin watched Kaoru pat Misao's horse absently. He knew she was still watching him with thoughtful eyes.

He felt elated at their kiss the night before. It was almost like he was a giddy teenager again, only this time he knew his heart would be in good hands. It wasn't simply a physical attraction, it was so much more.

Aoshi sensed that his words were no longer registering with Kenshin and tested his theory.

"So I decided to marry a monkey and raise gerbils in the south where my ranch will be run by eunuchs." Kenshin merely nodded in response.

"Oh…good Aoshi."

"I've found Eunuchs to be a wonderful addition to my bouquet of flourishing new ventures."

"Oh absolutely." Responded Kenshin duly.

Aoshi stopped walking until Kenshin realised that he was alone. Noticing that Aoshi no longer kept pace, he fell back.

"Sorry." He grimaced "I'm a little preoccupied."

"I couldn't tell." Aoshi deadpanned.

Kenshin sighed. "This is why I never committed myself to emotional relationships in the past."

"And now?"

"I've found merit in what I previously believed was an opiate designed to anaesthetise my mind from thinking rationally."

"Love?"

"Maybe love. Maybe friendship, companionship, amity – these things are intangible but so valuable."

"Mmm."

"We never talk about our personal lives Aoshi." He stated, turning to look at his friend "Do you have someone you love?"

With Kenshin watching closely Aoshi turned away to gaze over the rolling hills. His gaze found the slight figure happily leaning over a fence watching horses being trained. He imagined the green light in her eyes each time she smiled.

"Why do you ask?"

"Perhaps we could talk about it sometime." Kenshin shrugged. He liked the idea that Aoshi could be his close friend and trusted ally in business.

"As you wish." Aoshi made the request sound like an order – but that was just his way.

"Stay for the week, Aoshi. Business is not pressing – it can wait until we return." At this comment, Aoshi turned to Kenshin in surprise. Kenshin chuckled "Come on, we've been working for too long – one week of relaxing country air won't kill you." He thumped his friend on the shoulder and strode away to join Misao and Kaoru.

Misao was laughing and making wild gestures with her hands, almost falling from her precarious position on the wooden fence.

Aoshi watched with hooded eyes. He wanted to stay.

* * *

At dinner everyone sat down like one rowdy group and ate together in easy company.

Sano, Kamatari, Kenshin and Aoshi had become absorbed in a deep debate about the first amalgamation of smaller basketball clubs into the NBA and whether the ally-oop really was such a genius move. Kamatari simply inserted comments about how a mans best attributes couldn't be displayed in those getups, incidentally who was designing their outfits anyway? Sano simply thumped the slimmer man on the shoulders and guffawed loudly.

Sae and Tae were talking to Tsubame while Yahiko simply glanced around moodily his cheeks a tell tale red, meaning they were all teasing him about something. He was easy to rile up.

Misao sat between Kaoru and Megumi who kept saying things to the younger woman which she appeared to be quite avidly listening to.

"Misao, you can't keep chasing the Ice Block." Megumi stated lowly.

"I'm not" pouted Misao and Megumi tried not to roll her eyes.

"Misao love, sometimes it's more attractive for a man if the woman is" Kaoru paused, looking for the right word "_mysterious_." They both nodded in unison at Misao.

"Oh. But he never pays attention to me." She complained.

"You have to be funny, smart and interesting _around_ him; you don't have to necessarily be talking _to_ him."

It was as if a light now shone over a darkened room which Misao liked to think contained her dating tactics. Suddenly she realised that chasing him made her appear desperate, especially when said male, was an Ice Block.

"Okay." She swallowed. Her resolve was now complete. She would be sexy, funny, cute, and smart around him whenever she could.

Kaoru watched the emotions play over Misao's face. The poor girl was in love and the man of her dreams didn't know she existed.

She observed Kenshin over the top of her wine glass and smiled inwardly. He noticed her attention and smiled back. He glanced around the table, to make sure no one was really paying attention and mimed something at her.

_Do you want to go for a walk later?_

She gathered that's what he must have been trying to say by using his middle and index finger to do a walk along the table cloth, before gesturing to her and himself.

She nodded and mouthed back _'sure'._ He grinned at her response and returned to the pressing conversation at hand.

After cleaning the kitchen together, Kaoru strolled outside to find Kenshin waiting for her on the back steps, holding a large warm jacket in his hands.

"For you – so you don't get cold." He held it up.

Slipping it on he took her hand in his own and led her away from the house.

"Where exactly are we going?"

"Mmm, you'll see."

"Why all the secrecy?"

"It's hard to describe in words."

They walked for ten minutes before he stopped in front of a cave entrance.

"What do you think?" he asked gesturing towards the darkened stone opening.

"Umm I think it's dark and I can't see anything." She said before noticing a light shimmering from inside.

"Uh oh, it's starting" he tugged her inside and they sat down on the cold ground on the side of the cavern. He sat next to her as she leaned into his frame for warmth and wrapped an arm around her.

"Look up there." He pointed directly to the middle of the cavern ceiling.

Kaoru looked to where he was pointing and found a diamond shaped gap in the ceiling where she could see the moonlight filtering through. As the moon rose higher the light increased throwing odd shaped shadows around the cave.

"This usually happens around winter. It's the solstice." His warm breath feathered over her ear. His hand had snaked under her jumper and jacket, stroking the skin on her hip in circles with his thumb.

"It's beautiful." Breathed Kaoru as the white lights danced around the cave with a splendour that was indescribable.

As she watched the shapes form and fade to recreate something new she felt Kenshin's lips on her jaw. They slowly moved behind her ear and into the hollow of her throat.

She gasped; her head falling back. His right hand now rested behind her head while the other left a hot imprint on her hips where they lay gently stroking her bare skin. His butterfly kisses continued along her neck to her mouth where he stopped momentarily.

Placing his lips over hers, he deliberately prolonged of both their needs, before capturing them in en enticing mix of tightly reigned desire and tenderness.

After only one kiss he pulled away, resting his lips on her cold cheek.

"Did you like the Solstice love?" the moon had moved away, casting them in darkness.

"You know I did." she whispered.

"Is that a yes?"

She almost groaned and wondered whether he had planned to ask her all along. Her brain was fuddled now.

"Do really want to know what I think?" she breathed. She could see his eyes narrowing as she leaned into his embrace.

"What?" he demanded softly.

"I think…" she trailed off suggestively, her lips hovering above his tantalisingly.

"Yes." He whispered.

"My hands are cold!" she giggled hugging them to his bare back. She felt him stiffen and heard him groan as her cold hands ran over his warm bare skin.

"You're going to pay for that." He growled.

"Oh really?" she snickered before stumbling out of the cave, her laughter echoing through the trees.

"Yes really!" he asserted following her swift moving form back the way they had come. Kaoru had a distinct disadvantage at not knowing the area, and Kenshin caught up with her in no time. He caught her around the waist and placed his now cold hands on her stomach. She squealed and tried to jerk away only to have him run away from her flailing hands.

"I never thought Kenshin Himura would run away from a fight." she exclaimed breathlessly while laughing.

"I'm not!" came his faint reply from somewhere in the darkness.

"Are too!"

He returned only to throw her over his shoulder.

"Oh really caveman, we left the cave about 10 minutes ago."

"You asked for it." He plonked her down on the outdoor bed and fell down beside her, heaving in deep breaths.

"Was I really that heavy, or are you just weak?" she laughed and poked him in the side.

He pretended to contemplate "I'm not answering that." He darted her a look and grinned.

"You jerk! I am not heavy!"

* * *

Kamatari had watched as Kenshin and Kaoru raced up the back paddock towards the veranda. He was surprised at Kenshin carefree expression and friendly banter. Maybe Kaoru was right. Maybe they would find happiness with one another.

His brother was changing.

* * *

I'm not sure if this chapter is as good as I wanted it to be.

If you see any mistakes or issues - please point them out, I'll be all the more greatful for it ;-)

cheers,

Iuvenalis.


	8. Chapter 8

**I do not own Rurouni Kenshin**

**Strange Affliction**

**Chapter 8 - Forlorn in Fortitude**

Kamatari hated ill informed textile merchants. They set his teeth on edge; in fact Kaoru was the one who informed him of his habit. He had only tagged along to see the wedding place – this would allow him to see what vantage points would be best for quality photographs.

He ground his teeth until Kaoru could no longer hold back her smirk.

"We'll be done soon Kam."

"Be done now, love." He warned her.

"Okay okay" she patted his arm re-assuredly and returned to instructing the merchant. The quantity of material they had purchased was such that Kaoru filled the entire boot with it.

"Is this much material _really_ necessary" he complained "my arms are hurting from just looking at it."

"Oh, you barely carried one roll of material out." Kaoru laughed. Kamatari simply rolled his eyes.

Tomoe and Akira had chosen to have a country wedding, allowing their close family guests to stay in pre-hired cottages on the winery estate. Rows and rows of grape vines in vivid green glinted in the dying afternoon light. A large tree with a wooden platform stood at the end of the wide path in the middle of the vines.

Kneeling on one knee down, Kamatari rested his camera, and adjusted its lens. Tomoe had an eye for simple elegance and this winery exuded a cosy grace.

"You'll get better shots if you walk up to the top of the hill." Came a deep voice from his right. Kamatari stilled. He hadn't realised that someone was behind him. Looking back he found the source of the voice grinning back at him with interest.

"I'm Shishio." The man stated holding out his hand in greeting "The owner of the winery." He clarified when Kamatari simply stared at him.

Kamatari arched an eyebrow and returned the handshake quickly. When Kamatari said nothing to relieve the silence, calmly returning to gazing through his camera, Shishio scratched his arm nervously.

"I'll just, leave you to it then." He coughed before ambling away at a slow pace.

Kamatari let out a breath. He hadn't even realised he'd been holding it.

"Who was that guy?" asked Kaoru who had finally managed to find him after parking their car a considerable distance away.

"Owner." Kamatari replied shortly. Kaoru watched his face with interest. Kamatari always had more to say about new people, something sarcastic or sweet lined with an insult. This time he did neither.

He fiddled with the camera and walked down the slope to the wide path, and Kaoru followed.

"What was his name?"

"Umm I can't really remember. Sorry" he shrugged, though he looked the least bit apologetic.

"Okay then." Kaoru replied, a quizzical look on her face.

* * *

Kenshin was reading a new book. Reading was one of his favourite pastimes, but he used to give himself so little time for it. 'Romulus, My Father' was a simple novel about a child's memories of his father in outback Australia after migrating there post World War II. His serene atmosphere was interrupted by Kaoru.

"I, have been looking everywhere for you." She sighed before collapsing on the couch next to him.

"Have a good day looking at material?" he kissed the top of her head affectionately.

"Yeah it was good – but you'll never guess this."

"What?"

"Okay. Do you know the owner of the winery Tomoe is having her wedding at?"

"Shishio Makoto? I spoke to him on many occasions when I stayed here."

"Is he married or in a relationship?" she crossed her fingers and hoped he wasn't.

"Not that I know of." Kenshin murmured in thought.

"Kamatari wasn't very impressed with our winemaker."

"Why not?" He frowned. It wasn't like Kamatari to be like that. "Did he say something?"

"That's exactly it! He said _nothing_." Kaoru waited for her words to sink in. And when they didn't, she poked him.

"I'm not sure I understand what you're getting at." Kenshin caught her wayward hand.

"It means Kamatari liked him! Or at the very least, was discomfited by his presence" she added thoughtfully.

"Really?" Kenshin asked sceptically.

"Really, really." She nodded.

"They only just met." He felt a little foolish stating the obvious.

"Well," she inserted, that one word holding a weight of meaning "it only takes a moment Kenshin sama." She crossed her arms. "You're really out of the loop aren't you?"

Kenshin sighed.

"It's okay." she patted his arm. "What did you do all day?"

"Read this." He showed her the book in his hand.

"Oh! I've read that! It was simple, but good." She paused "I can't believe it's taken you all day to read it."

"Anything else you need to add to the list of insults?"

"No." she grinned resting her head on his shoulder.

Kenshin returned to reading his book, while Kaoru slowly dozed off to sleep. He could tell she was asleep; her breathing was deep and consistent.

He leaned over and inhaled the scent of her soft hair. _Jasmine._

* * *

Kamatari processed the shots he had taken earlier that day. They were all in monochrome – he was a purist at heart and this was the best way to gauge which angles looked best.

The last shot was off his latest acquaintance looking out over his winery. His gaze was settled on the horizon, and the easy set of his shoulders suggested that he was content.

He wondered what had gotten over him. He was a city man with high priced habits, so what was he doing reflecting on a countryman who probably wasn't even interested? Shishio wasn't similar to any of his prior love interests, which also made him feel odd. The quiet unassuming type just wasn't his thing.

Kamatari placed the last picture on a separate wire to dry. That one wouldn't be a part of the pictures he was going to show Tomoe.

* * *

Kaoru woke slowly. She felt nice and wrinkled her nose as she felt a warm hand brush across her cheek.

"Time for dinner, sweeting." At the softly spoken endearment, Kaoru's eyes flew open and she sat up quickly. Rubbing her eyes she looked at Kenshin who was watching her. She sat and watched him in return.

"You didn't like the name?" he smiled.

"I didn't think you were into nicknames." She hid a smile behind her hand.

"I think it suits you." He pulled her up off the couch after him. "You are very sweet." He breathed into her ear.

She never thought she was the kind of woman who blushed at flattery, but her face grew warm at his words.

"I can call you something else." He offered.

"It's…I think it's nice, in _private _company."

"So I should never call you that around people we don't really know – it's all been recorded for future use." He tucked his hands in his pockets and Kaoru linked her arms with his, strolling leisurely to dinner.

Megumi watched them wander into the dining area and recalled the early days of her romance with Sano. Every now and then he would still surprise her with a loving gift. Everyone believed his coarse behaviour encompassed all his characteristics. In reality he was kind and she knew from the way he made love to her that he was gentle. He handled her like something precious, his touch was rough but tender and he was hers forever.

She smiled and watched them converse softly. Kenshin was happy and Kaoru seemed less uptight and more carefree unlike the way she had been when Megumi first met her. She had however, noticed that since his return from the wedding venue, Kamatari appeared to be lost in deep contemplation. He hadn't even showed up for afternoon snacks – instead choosing to stay in his lab. She waited until Kaoru and Kenshin had reached the drinks table before approaching them.

"Have you two seen Kamatari?"

"Not since we got back." Kaoru answered while pouring herself some apple juice.

"Why? Is something wrong?" Kenshin asked.

"No" Megumi trailed off "He didn't have afternoon tea either." She shrugged.

Kaoru nudged and wiggled her eyebrows at Kenshin suggestively.

"I'm telling you Kaoru – they only just met." His lips thinned.

"And I'm telling you Kenshin – that he was different after we left the venue." She turned to address Megumi "I'll talk to him." Handing Kenshin her untouched drink she strode in the direction of Kamatari's lab.

"What was Kaoru talking about?" Megumi asked Kenshin.

Kenshin shrugged, not knowing whether Kamatari would want rumours of his impending love life broadcast to the rest of the family. He never liked it when they did it to him, until they were actually were useful in facilitating his relationship with Kaoru. He murmured a something in a non-committed fashion and ambled away.

* * *

Kaoru stood in front of Kamatari's lab and inhaled deeply before knocking on the door. She tried the handle and was surprised to find it locked. At their apartment Kamatari never locked the door to his lab – Kaoru was always allowed to wander in freely without hesitation.

Before she could finish her thought, the door swung open to reveal a harassed looking Kamatari.

"Kam? What's wrong?" She had never seen him look so fraught.

"I was looking through the frames." He answered abruptly "Come in." he gestured before striding to his table and sitting down. Kaoru followed and watched as he sorted through the various photos' he had taken.

"These are really nice Kam."

"Thanks." He ran a hand through his hair tiredly.

"I came to get you for dinner." She put down the photo she was looking at and faced him "And to talk about why you've been so distracted all afternoon."

"I haven't been distracted." He denied immediately.

"That was a little too quick Kam." She arched an eyebrow at him. "Would I be wrong in assuming that it has something to do with Shishio?"

Kamatari could feel his carefully created façade crumbling around him. Kaoru could always read him best, and she hadn't lost her touch – not that he had expected her too. He guessed that he had been somewhat disillusioned about how their friendship would function once she became involved with Kenshin, but apparently nothing had changed.

"It's really nothing." He shook his head, trying one last time to shake off her dogged pursuit of his problem.

"Kam. Please talk to me?" she asked softly. Her smile and gentle eyes undid him completely.

"Look, I'm not going to make any remarks now about," he searched for the right word "the situation. Not until I understand how I feel – which I don't."

"Okay. Is there anything you would like me to do in the mean time?"

"No – but should I require assistance you will be first port of call."

"Excellent. Dinner?"

"Absolutely, I missed afternoon tea, and I swear my stomach is ready to eat itself." Kaoru chuckled at his light hearted admission.

He felt slightly better after their chat. She had noticed that his demeanour had changed somewhat. She still cared – he wondered why he thought she would have stopped. He was content with simply watching for now.

* * *

Every moment Misao spent not looking, admiring or spending with Aoshi was killing her. She wanted to go up to him and tell him how she felt, and most of all she wanted him reciprocate her feelings. With each passing thought she grew sadder.

"If you frown anymore, your face will stay that way forever."

Misao's head shot up to find Aoshi watching her from lounge next to hers. She was about to launch into a dedicated speech about how she did facial yoga so there was no way she would get wrinkles at her age, and did he know that peptide from ingesting tomatoes helped the elasticity in your skin as you aged? She remembered Kaoru's words and decided to take it into consideration.

"Yes, rather." She attempted to be as aloof as possible, before sipping her drink delicately.

Aoshi waited. It was very unlike Misao to remain silent for so long.

"Is something wrong?" he asked cautiously.

"No." she answered shortly "Is something wrong with you?" she asked politely.

He shook his head and continued to watch her. Misao felt like shifting under his intense scrutiny and wondered why it was that all of a sudden she had become the centre of his attention.

"Would you excuse me?" she asked courteously before striding to meet Kamatari and Kaoru at the table as they strode in. Kaoru noticed Misao's tightly governed movements and glanced over her shoulder to find the source of her discomfort.

_Ah, Aoshi._

"Misao chan, you're doing spectacularly." Her voice was low, so only Misao could hear.

"Do you think so?" she asked quickly.

"Absolutely." Kaoru whispered back.

As they all shuffled around to seat themselves, Aoshi had somehow managed to ingratiate himself next Misao. Megumi wasn't having any of it.

"I'm sorry Shinomori san, would you please oblige me? I need to talk to Misao about a few things." She gestured to a seat on the other side and waited for him to comply. In mid sitting motion Aoshi was forced to stand up again, and sit next to Kenshin on the other side instead.

Although he wasn't showing it, Kenshin could tell that Aoshi was slightly annoyed. He wasn't stupid, and he could see what was happening; personally he hoped that Aoshi would be interested in Misao. He knew of Misao's feeling for the uncommunicative man, and always dealt with her missions to the Hiten Building with good humour.

Kaoru had successfully managed to pull Kamatari away from his lab, but his younger sibling looked a little frayed around the edges. He made a mental note to ask Kamatari if anything was wrong after dinner.

* * *

Although there were people hired to keep the house clean Kaoru still attempted to clean the kitchen after dinner. Her efforts were not proceeding as strongly as she had first imagined, because the pile of dishes did not appear to be getting any smaller.

"It's been a while since I've indulged in a good dish washing session" Kenshin stated, strolling in while rolling up his sleeves.

"You? Wash dishes? The real world is crazier than I imagined…" she joked.

"I don't usually get the time to do things like this, that's all." He smiled serenely.

"Uh huh." She smiled and continued to pile the dishes in an orderly manner.

"Kaoru."

"Mmm?" she hummed happily gathering the remaining dishes.

"Would you agree with me if I said that, we're more than friends now?"

"Mmm, yes. We are in the process of dating. Well, I would like to think that we are…We are, aren't we?" she clarified just in case.

"Yes, we are. I just wanted to make sure that you knew where I was coming from when I ask this next question."

"Okay. What question?" She eyed him uneasily. He noticed her discomfiture and rubbed her arms. Brushing her fringe aside he looked into her eyes.

"I know you don't feel comfortable talking about your past." Kaoru remained silent. "And from what I've gleaned from earlier conversation, you won't talk about it for a while, right?"

Kaoru nodded.

"So whenever you feel like you want to talk, ring me, write to me, whatever okay? And even if I'm in a different country I will fly back to hear you talk."

"Okay." She whispered.

"I'm not saying I want to know right this very second – I'm just telling you that whenever you feel comfortable, then you tell me. Okay?"

"Sure." She whispered.

"Excellent. Ah, dishes." He sighed into the sink with pleasure "It's been too long."

Kaoru smiled softly "You have got to be the strangest man I have ever met." She watched his slow and precise movements as he began washing. He was something unexpectedly precious.

_Let it slide_

_Let your troubles fall behind you_

_Let it shine_

_Til you feel all around you_

_And I don't mind_

_If it's me you need to turn to_

_We'll get by_

_It's the heart that really matters in the end_

Tae, Sae, and Megumi stood on the stairs outside the kitchen with hands on their hearts.

"I knew our Ken was sweet, but that was wonderful." Sae murmured softly.

"Well never let it be said that Kenshin doesn't know how to talk to a woman." Muttered Megumi who had heard the diminutive man speak very few kind words to people outside his own family. Then again Kaoru was almost family. She smiled as she was shepherded up the stairs by Tae who didn't want to be caught in a compromising position.

* * *

Kenshin watched as Kaoru walked away to get her self ready for bed. The soft kiss she had placed on the corner of his mouth still lingered like a soft caress on his tingling skin. He wondered about how long it would take for her to open her heart to him. He would enjoy waiting for her to tell him. That moment to him, would be like Mecca; the absolute moment of truth, that she was his and he was hers. He didn't want to think of it in terms of marriage, because he didn't want to scare her away.

What he wanted was an equal harmonious relationship which was fulfilling for them both. He could see it happening with her, he really could.

He felt really good after he had told her that he would wait for her to unlock the brace of pain that had sealed her heart so long ago. Now it was her choice, and it wasn't a weird subject that both of them would avoid. He knew about it, she knew about it and he would wait, no matter how long it took.

Even so, he was still thinking about Kamatari, and what Kaoru had stated earlier. Did Kamatari have _feelings_ for Shishio Makoto? It was a little odd thinking about it, because Kamatari barely knew the man. He guessed that his and Kaoru's relationship had begun in a similar manner, on very minimal information, until he'd had her investigated. He winced at the memory and remembered how Kaoru had ripped into him over his behaviour. She certainly had a way with words.

Knocking cautiously on Kamatari's lab door, it swung open almost immediately.

"Kenshin?" Kamatari asked in confusion.

"Kam, you busy?"

"Not really." Kamatari grimaced and leaned on the door, before realising his bad manners "Come in" he gestured.

"Thanks" Kenshin strode in and observed the lab critically. Everything was clean, which was strange because Kamatari was generally a very messy person. Maybe he was one of those weird people who kept their work areas strangely tidy but their homes untidy?

He walked over and studied photos hanging on a wire of Tomoe's wedding venue. They were extremely good. Even from his limited experience of photography, these shots were compelling and very intriguing. They made you want to keep looking. On the line behind it, hung one photo alone. Kenshin made out the figure of Shishio Makoto, turned away from the camera lens as he observed his winery. It was quite obvious that Kamatari had taken this picture without the knowledge of the subject.

"These are really interesting Kamatari."

"Yeah, Kaoru said something similar." He cleared his throat nervously. Kenshin nodded and continued slowly observing the photos. He was unsure how to broach the subject he had initially wished to discuss with his brother.

"I understand that you met the owner of the winery estate – Shishio Makoto?"

"I might have. If it was the guy I saw in the afternoon, then, yeah I must have." He shrugged affecting an air of nonchalance.

"Well I was hoping to commission him to do some work on our vineyards. Maybe give him a cut of the profits – what's the point of having a winery if you can't use it for something." Kenshin smoothly congratulated himself inwardly at thinking of a good way to talk about the winemaker.

"Yeah well I can't really comment about his winemaking skills."

"I was more interested in his personality – as a business partner, a cohort." Kenshin motioned his hand in a circular motion to signify the statement.

"Yeah, again can't really comment on his personality. I only chatted with him briefly about nothing really."

Kenshin felt like rolling his eyes. Kamatari was making it extremely difficult. Instead of showing his mild feelings of frustration, Kenshin nodded and watched his brother carefully. Kamatari wasn't looking everywhere but at Kenshin.

"I really just wanted to know what's been happening with you since this afternoon. I noticed you missed afternoon tea - as did Kaoru." When Kamatari said nothing Kenshin continued "If you need to talk you know where I am okay?" He held out his hand in a fist facing downwards.

Kamatari smiled as recognised the gesture from their high school days and knocked his own fist against Kenshin's. He watched Kenshin stride away and was glad for the moments he had alone. He wanted to think and that wouldn't happen with meddling family around.

_Oh simple thing_

_Where have you gone?_

_I'm getting old _

_I need something to rely on_

_So tell me when_

_You're gonna let me in_

_I'm getting tired _

_And I need somewhere to begin_

Everyone in his family had someone except him. He knew Aoshi and Misao would probably start dating soon. He didn't want his perpetual loneliness to be the reason for his choice in pursuing someone, but in the moment of their first meeting, he knew he'd definitely felt something. Something worth experiencing.

* * *

Did this chapter sound disjointed? You know I can take it - the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Cheers,

Iuvenalis.


	9. Chapter 9

**I do not own Rurouni Kenshin :-)**

**Strange Affliction**

**Chapter 9 – Actuarial Prediction Zero**

Kamatari threw his thin cotton scarf on the ground in disgust. All his outfits were fine _before_ he had an agenda, and now everything looked wrong. In the end he opted for a simple tan Ralph Lauren polo, with dark blue jeans. That way his tan leather shoes would look smart and his dark blue cotton scarf would match. Observing his outfit in the mirror he slid his sunglasses on and nodded. He looked casual but neat with a hint of fashionism – the scarf did that for him.

In his head he recited the rules:_ one - never take your sunglasses off. Two - always listen and three – make sure they issue an invitation to return (do not ask to come back)._ He had to repeat the last one to drive home the fact that _he_ shouldn't ask if he could come back – that would be cheating_._

"Swish Kam – real swish." Whistled Kaoru observing his subdued yet classy style of clothing. "Not loud and proud today?"

"Not today, love, not today." He lowered his sunglasses and winked at her.

"Should I be playing a particular role, or something?" Kaoru thought she'd better clarify.

"Nope. Just talk as much as you want." He shrugged indifferently "this is simply for _observation_. But that doesn't mean we can't get work done at the same time."

"Keep your pants on."

"Exactly."

"Oh you're hilarious." Kaoru deadpanned.

"Aren't I just?" he grinned before striding outside with his heavy bag of camera equipment.

Kaoru watched him go and crossed her fingers and toes while silently sending a prayer to God to help her friend out.

"What's this?" Kenshin held her wrist up, her fingers still tightly crossed.

"I'm praying!" Kaoru stated crossly, annoyed at having her prayer time interrupted.

"I never thought you were the type to cross fingers." He murmured kissing her lightly on the mouth.

"Well I am and it's your fault if nothing works out for Kamatari today. You may have intercepted my message to God with your actions."

"I doubt that." He mumbled into her neck as he hugged her middle tightly.

"Watch those hands!" she admonished lightly as his hands crept downwards. "I don't have time for this – I have to go with Kamatari!" she whispered frantically, as she felt herself melting in his embrace.

"Alright." Kenshin let go reluctantly "But only if you promise that we can spend all afternoon together."

"Okay." She sighed as if she really didn't want to. Kenshin grinned at her forlorn expression and kissed her temple.

"I'll be waiting." He murmured striding away in the direction of the kitchen and she watched him go with a keen look of interest. _His ass looks so good in those jeans. _Kamatari cleared his throat loudly and quite pointedly from the front door.

"Not all of us have Mr Perfect waiting for us when we get home – shall we go?" he mocked her, as a telltale blush worked its way up her neck.

"I don't know why we're friends." She grumbled.

"Because you love me, and we both know it."

* * *

"I think we can safely say that Kaoru and Kenshin are in the bag." Tae commented.

"Definitely." Sae agreed.

"Are you two sure you're not into sukebe things? Because the way you two watch other people is _weird._" Commented Megumi dryly.

"We – " began Tae.

"Are observant –"continued Sae

"And meticulous in our observations." Tae nodded.

"But this does not mean," Sae stated pointedly

"That we are perverts," Tae inserted.

"Rather, we like to be informed." Sae concluded, and both twins nodded; satisfied with their combined efforts in relating what they believed, was a pretty good explanation of their behaviour.

"Of course." Megumi arched an eyebrow at them.

* * *

Kenshin perused the shelves of his DVD library carefully for something that would pop out at him – but he didn't feel anything pop as he slowly looked through the titles. He didn't feel like something light and brainless – he was in a thinky mood, which meant he needed a psychological mind bender or a political thriller. _Identity_ he murmured the title under his breath and stood looking at the case thoughtfully. Yeah it popped. Without hesitation he slipped it out and made his way to the media room to watch what he hoped would be a good thinky movie.

Yahiko caught sight of Kenshin striding to the media room and scrambled up from the dining room table to follow him.

"Oi Kenshin! Where're you going?"

Kenshin halted at Yahikos call and turned "Going to the media room to watch this." He held up the DVD case.

"I-dent-tity." Yahiko repeated dutifully. "Can I watch too?"

"Yeah sure" Kenshin shrugged – the more the merrier. In the end Megumi, Sae, Tae, Sano, Tsubame, Tomoe and the recently arrived Akira all sat down to watch the movie.

Kenshin felt a little pang of nostalgia. He wished Kaoru were here so he could share his couch space with her. So he could wrap her inside his blanket and smell the Jasmine wafting off her clothes and hair. Maybe he was becoming _a little_ obsessed, but he liked the feelings she invoked within him. Smiling softly he pressed play on the DVD remote and waited for the movie to start.

* * *

Kaoru examined the grounds of the winery and thought about Tomoe's dress. The silk was a light fabric which would get caught and rip on the hard grass. Scratching her chin she turned to find the recent subject of Kamatari's interest approaching her.

"Hello!" He exclaimed with a smile on his face.

"Hi! You must be Shishio Makoto – I'm Kaoru Kamiya, Tomoe's designer." She grinned back.

"Ah yes she mentioned that her photographer and designer would come by for a few last minute check ups." He glanced hesitantly over his shoulder to where Kamatari stood at the edge of the winery. "Is he the photographer?"

"Yep – I believe you met him the other day?"

"Yes." Shishio stated quickly "but I didn't catch his name…" he trailed off uncertainly. Damn Kamatari probably had a mental freeze, decided to act bitchy and not give his name. Kaoru felt like rolling her eyes.

"Ah yeah, that's Kamatari." She smiled.

"Oh…" Shishio looked a little lost as if he wasn't really standing and talking to Kaoru at all, but someplace far away.

"Do you know him?" She asked a little hesitantly.

"No – we only met the other day." He said faintly as they both watched Kamatari stand slightly away from them, hands in pockets.

Kaoru wondered what was happening, because in her head it seemed as if Shishio Makoto was _afraid_ of Kamatari. Not scared but very aware and highly conscious if him.

Kamatari could hear Kaoru chatting happily to Shishio as he took pictures and imagined settings for the bridal album. Tomoe would want black and white, as well and Sepia, and she'd want them from scratch meaning no Photoshop, which was a shame because he so loved Photoshopping peoples digital photos. The logistics of the wedding were starting to make his head hurt. Since it wasn't all digital he had to bring along most if not all of his equipment.

"Tomoe told me that you might need a place to store you equipment?"

Kamatari turned to find Shisho smiling at him, with a slightly uncomfortable look on his face.

"Mmm I though maybe I could leave my things in my van, but they'd ruin in the heat, particularly if it's a sunny day." He mused thoughtfully. Though he had turned to look at the man, Kamatari observed the landscape as he spoke. "I'll take anything you've got that's close to the wedding area, dark and cold" he flicked a finger out for each characteristic he needed.

"Sure!" Shishio rubbed his hands together "follow me."

Shishio unlocked a wooden door to reveal a dark cold room full of potatoes. "Gotta keep' em out of the sun otherwise they start growing shoots."

Kamatari had mild interjections about keeping his priceless equipment with _potatoes_ but it was actually pretty good. Apart from the mouldy smell.

"I can have a table placed in here for the actual day so you wouldn't have to put your stuff on the ground." He tipped his hat back to survey Kamatari's reaction.

"Thank You – this will do well."

"Okay, great." He nodded in response, while eyeing Kamatari's camera with intense curiosity. "How – how much was that camera? Must have set you back a few hundred eh?"

"This old thing?" Kamatari lifted his Phantom Protoype"A few thousand." He shrugged and hid his grin as he turned away from Shishio's slightly shocked expression.

"How big does the table need to be?" he asked as Kamatari strolled away.

"Whatever fits?" he shrugged, because he knew that there was now way on earth on all his 'stuff' would fit on one table in such a puny room.

"Ah, okay." He heard Shishio mumble ineffectively attempting to shut the door of the potato barn. Kamatari felt Shishio at his shoulder as he walked down the wide path between the wines. "These are our summer vines." He explained a little breathlessly "they're still waiting to be hand picked."

"Who picks them?"

"Me and a bunch of people in town who want casual summer work."

They arrived at the base of the path and Kamatari looked up at the apple tree, its blossoms had fallen long ago. He wished he had his macro – then he could take some really good close up shots of the wine grapes and bark of the apple tree.

"My wife planted this tree." Shishio stated quietly.

Kamatari kept looking upwards, pretending to observe the beauty, while inwardly struggling with his disappointment.

"Why?" he didn't want to know and at the same time he did. Damn him and his stupid curiosity.

"She used to say that apples had many uses."

_Used to?_ Kamatari had that feeling again. He so badly wanted to ask, but he knew it was really none of his business. But apparently he didn't have to.

"She passed away a long time ago, just after she gave birth to our son." And in Kamatari's world things were going from bad to worse. A wife and a son – what had _honestly_ made him think he had a chance?

* * *

Kamatari had been silent on the drive up, but in a hopeful mellow kind of way. On the way back however, he was in a contemplative and deeply thoughtful mood. It was casting a dour environment over Kaoru and she wasn't appreciating it.

"Okay what did he say that has you like this?" she demanded.

"What do you mean?" Kamatari shot her a quizzical look.

"You're all mopey now." She raised her eyebrows at him.

"He had a wife."

"Had?"

"Passed away." He inserted shortly.

"That doesn't mean –"

"You're clutching at straws, Kao." He asserted, his tone brooking no argument.

Kaoru didn't speak for the rest of the trip home.

* * *

Kenshin watched Ayame and Suzume splash around with glee, they're little arms ringed with floaty swimmer aids. He carefully manoeuvred his leaf catcher through the water to pick up stray foliage that had fallen into the pool. It was becoming cool again in the afternoon, luckily for the girls, the pool was heated.

He sighed resting the catcher on the ground at his side. Water dripped onto his arm and he wondered when Kaoru and Kamatari would be home.

"You and Kamiya are apparently an item." Aoshi stood next to him silently observing the pool water ripple. It was a statement question, which was typical Aoshi behaviour.

"Well, I'd like to think that we have what it takes for a good relationship to develop." He shrugged. Aoshi nodded, his eyes still glued to the pool water.

"I've heard the Jaspers Brush winery and restaurant is not far from here." He stated cryptically.

"Mmm it's owned by an old couple, but they don't produce the wine on the premises. I've heard good things about that place."

"As have I."

"Are suggesting that I take Kaoru there?" Aoshi merely lifted one shoulder eloquently.

"That is at your discretion." He answered, and Kenshin wondered if this is what Aoshi believed constituted a discussion about personal relationships.

"Kaoru deserves to have a type of man who can do anything for her." Kenshin paused thoughtfully "and although I know I can do many things, I don't really care if there is someone better for her out there. I want her to be _mine_."

"That is an oddly possessive attitude to have after only 2 weeks."

"2 weeks is a long time – especially when you spend almost all day together."

"Mmm. And what does Kamiya think?"

"Kaoru is…she's taking it slowly and that's the way we both want it." _but sometimes I want to throw that agreement out the window_ he added silently.

Aoshi nodded yet again at his diminutive friends thoughts. This Kamiya woman appeared to have inserted herself quite well into the Himura household. Which was a difficult feat since the Himura's were a very tight knit family; almost like a well formed Han. He himself had never experienced a real family life. His relations had left him long ago, and most of his time had been spent in the company of Kenshins family. Which in the most real sense was a collection of individuals such as himself.

Kaoru came bustling out of the house with an expressionless look on her face. Her knee length floral dress with matching hat and shaded her face so Kenshin couldn't really make out her eyes.

"Kamiya." Aoshi stated shortly once Kaoru had arrived at the pool, inserting herself neatly between him and Kenshin.

"Aoshi, Hi!" she smiled politely at him "Hi girls! Oh that water looks good!" she commented happily, linking her arm with Kenshins. She waved at Tae and Sae who both lay on sun beds under a large umbrella reading.

"How was you trip today?" Kenshin murmured.

"Oh you know, little bit of this, little bit of that." Kenshin raised his eyebrows as she obviously evaded his question. What was wrong with everyone today? He glanced back at the house to check whether Kamatari was coming out to join them. Apparently not.

"Where's Kamatari?"

"Oh he's probably in his lab." She shrugged hugging his arm. "So, what have we got planned for this afternoon?"

"I'll tell you later." He smiled, knowing that it would pique her curiosity to the point where she would pester him until he gave in. He watched her pout from the corner of his eye and set down the leaf catcher at the edge of the pool. "Tae, Sae I'm going inside alright?"

"Okay Ken!" they replied in unison.

As they walked away Kaoru's hand tightened around his own.

"Okay – what's wrong?"

"You know how we both thought that Shishio wasn't married or attached?" he nodded. "Well he had a wife."

"Oh." Kenshin replied faintly.

"I wouldn't say Kamatari was upset, I think he was _disappointed_." She related quietly.

"We all experience disappointment in our lives Kaoru, he'll survive."

"Yeah but this guy seemed really nice _and_ he seemed interested."

"Sometimes friendly gestures can be misconstrued." Kenshin attempted to smooth over Kaoru's hopeful commentary.

"No, I'm so sure it was different. And I'm not saying this because I know Kamatari hoped he'd be interested." Her tone was firm.

Tomoe heard snippets of Kaoru and Kenshin's conversation as they walked into the house. She'd heard a little about Kamatari's fascination with the owner of winery. It was encouraging to think that Kamatari might find someone to start a real relationship with, instead of all the momentary pleasure dates he been indulging himself in. She looked at the invitation in her hand and knew it couldn't have arrived at a better time.

She slowly descended the stairs, to meet Kaoru and Kenshin.

"Hi Tomoe." Kaoru called out.

"Hi you two" she responded in her soft elegant way.

"What's the down low?" Kaoru asked casually.

"We got an invitation from Shishio Makoto, inviting all of us to his winery for an opening celebration of one of his new wines." She smiled softly.

Kaoru squealed and plucked the invitation from Tomoe's hand.

"We cordially invite you to the first tasting of our newest variety of summer wines." Kaoru read out aloud. "Awesome" she breathed softly.

Kenshin inwardly breathed a sigh of relief at the invitation – now he didn't have to be an interfering busybody (even though he was practiced at it in a very subtle, sneaky and invasive manner without being completely obvious that he was having said person investigated or plotting their ruin etc etc). Although he and Kamatari had worked through their differences, Kenshin didn't want any new tension.

Kaoru felt like jumping up and down in excitement, and she did. Bouncing on the balls of her feet she flapped her hands around and jumped into Kenshins arms childishly. Her glee rubbed off on him and he responded by hugging her tightly, and lifting her off the ground.

Tomoe watched Kenshin respond to Kaoru's openhearted gestures and smiled. He was opening his heart and mind to Kaoru in a way she had never imagined. Akira was the exact opposite to what Kenshin had been when he was her boyfriend. He had given her a white iris plant for her living room – because her beauty was soft and quietly exquisite. Her heart had beaten so fast as he'd said it, and she remembered her face growing warm. It was the first time a man had made her blush. Akira had said she'd looked incredibly pretty.

Kenshin and Kaoru continued on past her and up the stairs, still looking at the invitation. Suddenly she missed Akira even more than ever.

* * *

Kenshin watched from his bedroom window as Kamatari spoke to Tomoe on their front lawn. It appeared as if Kamatari wanted to take some wedding photo's in front of the fountain and was discussing it with her in his naturally animated manner. They both noticed Kenshin watching and while Tomoe favoured him with a small wave, Kamatari gave him a small mocking salute. He wasn't sure why but it was kind of annoying. They obviously still had issues to work through, and Kenshin wasn't sure why he thought that everything was going to be okay between them. The fact that Kamatari had refused to say anything to him the other day about Shishio displayed that there still residual tension. He knew Kamatari had confessed to Kaoru, otherwise she wouldn't have reacted with such excitement to the invitation. He would talk to Kamatari again after the party. His relationship with Kaoru was progressing albeit, slowly but taking shape and becoming serious in nature. It was a new experience to feel comfortable and enjoy that slight acceleration in your heartbeat when you saw that person you had been waiting to see all day. Kamatari had to understand, he just had to.

* * *

Kamatari didn't want to go. Yahiko on the other hand was excited. The party gave him another opportunity to fully monopolise Tsubame's time and most of all he'd get to see her in a cute dress, something where she left her hair out, he thought dreamily. He also had the opportunity to impress her with his impeccable dress sense. Being notorious for dressing his own models, Yahiko decided to consult Kamatari for advice.

"Oi Kamatari, what do you reckon I should wear tonight?"

"Clothes." Kamatari responded immediately.

"HA HA." Yahiko replied sarcastically "nah seriously Kam, just for tonight." He whined. "You're going aren't you?"

"No."

Yahiko raised his eyebrows at the quick retort, as Misao strolled in with Megumi in tow.

"Who's not going where?" Misao asked quickly, plopping into a chair near the window.

"Kam isn't going tonight." Yahiko reported dutifully.

"Well that can't be right." Megumi watched Kamatari from the corner of her eye as she sorted through Yahiko closet "I was told that you were the photographer for the evening."

"I never agreed to that." Kamatari deferred flatly.

"Well your name was tossed around quite a bit by that Shishio guy – he expects you to take _all_ the photos." Megumi continued slyly. This was the first time Misao had heard that set of events. In reality in went more like this:

"_No photographers for this evening." Shishio chuckled uncomfortably "It's not that big of a deal."_

"_But of course it is!" Megumi chimed in "In fact Kamatari told me he would be more than happy to take some photos here and there." She flashed her trademark fox smile._

_Kenshin stared fixedly at Megumi._

"_Well if he's happy to do it…" Shishio trailed off uncertainly._

"_Of course he is! We'll be there, with our bells on!"_

Misao decided, quite wisely in her own opinion, to keep her mouth shut. If there turned out to be a problem, she could always pretend like she hadn't been there in the first place.

* * *

Kaoru opted for a simple dark blue silk creation which ended just above her knee. It had a russetted bodice with tulip skirt and luckily she had her dark blue Tony Bianco's that would match the dress perfectly.

Kenshin looked resplendent in a black suit with a dark blue shirt open at the neck. He had quietly told her that she looked _exquisite_. She could still hear the way his low whispered comment had made her bite back a gasp as he lightly bit her earlobe. The hand that lay possessively on her hip had tightened momentarily, and she could feel the heat of his skin through the fabric. The man knew he was driving her crazy with his little ministrations but he kept doing it. Now he was alternating between throwing her heated glances from under his long bangs and studying her mouth with an intense expression on his face. Her mouth was going dry and they hadn't even gotten to the party yet. Shaking off her seductive day dreaming she peered window of the car. The winery had been cutely lit up by small designated oil lamps, on the veranda and up the long driveway. At night it was spectacular view with the rolling dark mountains and the moon high in the sky as a backdrop. Kaoru gripped Kenshins hand tightly in her own and strode confidently up the steps where Shishio was waiting to greet them.

"Thank You for coming!" he greeted them happily.

"Thank you for having us." Kenshin responded politely.

"We wouldn't miss this for the world!" Kaoru added.

"Please go inside and have some canapés and warm up by the fire." He directed them towards the glowing interior of the house.

They all strolled in together, the warm room sweetly enticing them in. As Kenshin strode further in however, his hand tightened inexplicably around Kaoru's. She placed her left hand on his jacket lapel questioningly, but Kenshin was looking elsewhere. His gaze had been completely ensnared by someone standing near the fireplace. At Misao's loud gasp Kaoru looked over her shoulder, only to see Kamatari quickly smother it with his hand. Teetering backwards Misao attempted to balance herself by holding onto Kamatari while Megumi's lips tightened, and her eyes narrowed menacingly. Everyone in the Himura household had lost their cheerfulness at the sight of the slight figure standing nonchalantly by the roaring fire. From their collective reaction, Kaoru had a fair idea of who it might be.

_My god it's been so long_

_Never dreamed you'd return_

_But now, here you are_

_And here I am_

_Oh, hearts and thoughts they fade_

_Fade away_

_Fade away..._

* * *

Hmm for some reason this chapter seems incredibly uninspired. It was difficult to write and I'm not very happy with it...

You know the drill - the good, the bad, the ugly.

Cheers,

Iuvenalis.


	10. Chapter 10

I do not own Rurouni Kenshin :-)

**Strange Affliction**

**Chapter 10 – Parlous Straits**

The amount of tension Kaoru was experiencing right now was _incredible_. It was almost as if everyone had been petrified into immobility, and any movement would set off an ominous series of events. Oddly enough Kenshin just felt stunned. He was simply frozen with surprise, possibly even numb with incredulity. He was about to take a step forward when Kaoru let go of his hand and stepped in front of him. It was a possessive gesture, almost as if she was shielding him from whatever it was that was creating such apprehension. Kenshin's gaze flicked to Kaoru as she stared openly at the woman near the fireplace. It was if she was openly issuing a challenge to the woman, Kenshin could almost hear her saying it; _just try it…_

He leaned into her frame, feeling the strength of her stance and buried his face in her hair. He wrapped an arm around her waist and closed his eyes, his lips resting high against her cheek.

"Alright love?" he asked carefully.

"I should be asking you that." She responded lowly, while leaning into his embrace. Kaoru was now encircled in Kenshin's arms; both facing diagonally away from the fireplace. Everyone behind Kenshin and Kaoru visibly exhaled. "I think a couple of drinks are in order." She said in a louder voice.

"I could definitely use a few of those." Muttered Megumi, without taking her eyes off the woman.

"Amen to that." Agreed Kamatari.

"Hit me up, buttercup!" chirped Misao feeling a little better. Aoshi simply tightened his lips and trailed behind.

As they strolled to the wine bar, Kaoru fervently searched her memory for a name. Kenshin had never given her one. It had always been 'she' or 'her' or 'the woman'. So this was 'the woman' who had almost destroyed Kenshin in his youth. Kenshin had never mentioned where he'd met her, or at what age, which begged the question: what was she doing here? No one else would have incited such a reaction from the whole family, and there was no way she was letting her get anywhere near Kenshin.

As they ordered Kaoru turned to Kenshin, placing an arm over his shoulder in a loving gesture and pulled him closer.

"Is that who I think it is?" she whispered in his ear.

"Who would that be love?"

"You never told me her name." she accused softly.

"If you think it's the woman I never talk about – then yes, that is her." Kenshin looked straight into her eyes as he said it. Kaoru noticed that he didn't seem saddened or angered by it.

"Do you want to go home?"

Kenshin smiled softly at her concern "No – I came here to have a good time with my family, and my girlfriend, and I that's exactly what I'm going to do." He was firm in his resolve.

Kaoru ran her hand under his jacket and over his thin raw silk shirt, feeling the well toned muscle in his chest. "I won't think anything of it if we went home Kenshin. I'd rather spend a night in with you instead of dodging a viper ex-girlfriend." She murmured.

"Keep doing that and we just might." He responded lowly. Kaoru lay her head on his shoulder and bit her lip worriedly. She hoped he wasn't lying.

Kaoru's lips whitened under her teeth as she bit them apprehensively, and Misao was finding it increasingly difficult to understand why everyone was pretending as if everything was okay. In thinking so, her breathing became a little heavy as she contemplated all the ways she could physically maim the viper woman.

"I hear you sister." Kamatari drawled quietly in her ear.

"I cannot believe her nerve. That supercilious bitch." Muttered Misao as she munched ferociously on the olive in her martini. She threw the drink to the back of her throat and immediately ordered another. Kenshin and Kaoru were still standing close together while the viper woman watched them with apparent interest. If she kept looking at them like that she was going to regret it.

"Careful Misao." Warned Kamatari as he noticed the stiff set of Misao's back. It appeared that the carefree ditzy sugar addict wasn't so carefree after all.

"Oh my god, she's coming over here." Whispered Misao angrily darting anxious looks at Kenshin.

Shishio approached the bar with the woman. Her green eyes slanted beautifully, and her body swayed like a siren.

"I'd like to introduce you all to one of the associate dealers in the south coast wine productions – Yuki. She takes our wines and sells them nationwide and abroad. Yuki, this is he Himura family, close family friends of Tomoe Yukishiro who is having her wedding here in a few weeks."

Misao wasn't sure whether she should keep up the charade: that Shishio thought they didn't know each other. Shishio, unaware of the tension turned to Kenshin and Kaoru.

"This is Mr Kenshin Himura and Tomoe's designer Kaoru." Kenshin stared at Yuki with a blank expression on his face before addressing Shishio.

"Thank you Shishio, but introductions are unnecessary. We have all met Yuki before…except Kaoru." He smiled at her. "Kaoru this is Yuki."

"Pleased to meet you." Yuki stated in a soft breathless voice, holding out her hand in greeting. The woman was sex on heels from the top of her head to the tip of her toes.

Kaoru didn't want to touch her, so she smiled prettily and bowed her head instead of shaking hands. Yuki, lost her smile, her hand dropping back to her side. The wine handlers expertly poured the wine into their glasses before Kenshin and Kamatari were led away by Shishio to be shown the processing style. Kenshin moved slowly to follow Shishio but his each move was weighed down with trepidation. He didn't want leave Kaoru alone with Yuki, in fact he wished that she'd never met her.

Kaoru felt like running after Kenshin. Watching his retreating form with longing, he threw her a reassuring look over his shoulder and winked as he strolled away.

"So are you and Kenshin dating then?" Yuki asked without preamble.

"I don't know you well enough to get into that." Kaoru stated sweetly. Yuki grinned almost menacingly.

"I'm surprised he's dating you." Yuki continued as if Kaoru hadn't spoken. "He's a little out of your league isn't he?" Kaoru wasn't sure of the woman was naturally a bitch or whether she was being more bitchy than usual because she thought that Kaoru knew nothing about what role she had played in Kenshins life.

"Really?" Kaoru offered Yuki a crafted look of surprise.

"Oh yeah. I thought I saw him with that woman the other day, ummm what was her name."

"Tomoe?" Kaoru offered blithely.

"Mmm yes. They seemed quite cosy." Yuki watched Kaoru face carefully. "In fact, not to put a sour note on your relationship, but Kenshin was quite the ladies man when I knew him." Kaoru was at the end of her tether, and the woman was worse than Kenshin had described.

"If you're trying to convince me that Kenshin is having an illicit affair with Tomoe, then you have no idea who I am. I've heard less stupid things than that and known it was a lie. Christ you're such a bitch." All the while Kaoru maintained low volume and overly sweet tones. Yuki was a little stunned, her mouth falling open inelegantly before she shut it with a decisive click.

"Misao chan you should taste this wine, it's heavenly." She swapped her glass with Misao, shepherding them away from Yuki towards the processing style. Yuki watched the two women walking away, feeling the hairs stand on the back of her neck. Looking back at the bar she noticed Megumi staring at her. Raising an eyebrow she sneered at Megumi with dislike.

"What do you want?"

Megumi simply stared a little longer before giving her derisive look. As she swept away after Kaoru and Misao, she heard Yuki mutter 'bitch' under her breath. Catching up with them she leaned in confidentially.

"I am going to slice that woman's face off if she even looks at Ken san again." She murmured in a sugary tone. "I brought my surgery kit with me."

"Pfft surgery schmurgery, I got my blades in the car." She winked back. They both looked at Kaoru expectantly, waiting for her to add to their repertoire of slicing and dicing. She looked own at her nails. She could scratch her face and be done with it, though she had a feeling that it wouldn't be brutal enough for them.

"Umm I have my material cutting scissors at the house?" when they looked unimpressed she added to it "And my metre long slicer for heavy duty materials." To this Misao and Megumi nodded appreciatively.

"Oh yeah we could throw her under there any day." Misao agreed making quick slicing motions with her hands with accompanying sound effects.

* * *

Kaoru found the evening had proceeded with relatively few hiccups. Yuki had remained social and Kaoru had seen her keeping an eye on Kenshin. There was no doubt in Kaoru's mind why Kenshin had fallen in love with her. She was certainly very beautiful and a young naïve adolescent would have been blown away if she had been interested in them. Kaoru vainly tried to remember what little Kenshin had told her about Yuki.

"_There was something about her I'd never seen before…Her eye's spoke of an indescribable sadness…I was in love with her even before the introductions were finished. We were in a long term relationship and by the time I had realised that she didn't love me at all, she had cheated on me several times. In fact, I only knew about a few of her indiscretions. I doubt I knew about all of them…"_

Kaoru thought back to the times when she had been cheated on by men that she had dated casually. It had been hurtful, mostly humiliating, but it hadn't been a ground breaking moment for her. It was simply wastage and she had moved on knowing that there were better things to look forward to in the future. Perhaps as an adolescent in love, because they're emotionally untried it hurts more? She wasn't sure. It was either adolescent naïveté or something else had happened. She experimentally touched her throbbing lip where she had bitten it too hard and tasted the metallic blood. Whatever it was Kenshin hadn't told her about, she hoped he would tell her was sooner rather than later. At her thoughts she remembered Kenshins words when she had cut him down as he'd asked about her past

"_I'll wait…"_

So if he could wait, then by all rights she should return the gesture. Kaoru knew that she could allude to knowing that he hadn't told her the whole truth and let it be, or she could ask. She wanted to be understanding, but the reality of the situation could not be denied. Her past, was something which could be discussed at any point in the future, unless some event occurred which accelerated the process. Yuki however, was right in front of them almost like a subliminal disaster in their young relationship. It was an issue that had to be dealt with now, and quickly, for who knew what things Yuki had planned.

* * *

She had ridden home with Kenshin while he answered a conference call from his London office. As soon as they arrived home he ad kissed her on the cheek and told her he would working late. With Aoshi in tow he had disappeared into his office and three hours later he still hadn't emerged. She waited patiently by the front drawing room window for Kamatari to return. She really needed someone to talk to.

"How do you feel?" Aoshi asked quietly.

Kenshin glanced over at him warily "I've been better." He replied "way better."

Aoshi nodded solemnly "This Yuki woman, she's the one from before isn't she?"

Kenshin merely nodded.

"I didn't know she was working in the wine industry." He thought out aloud.

"That's how we first met." He sighed "We were both casual workers at a small French winery, provence."

"I'm guessing this was during your freedom of youth days." Aoshi observed dryly.

"Some freedom of youth it was." Muttered Kenshin swirling the gin and tonic in his glass. "Had I not met Yuki, things would have been _very _different." He admitted. "very different" he repeated almost in a daze.

Kenshin had always been careful with his emotions, and was never seen to be complacent. His thoughts and words worried Aoshi immensely. He liked watching people and saying little, because it allowed his to _observe_, _analyse_ and _theorise _about people's situations based on their behaviour. He was always able to gain valuable knowledge in this manner as well. He'd heard Kamiya respond to Yuki's barb with surprising derision. This Yuki woman could not have shown up at a worse time, and she was obviously here for a reason. If her looks were anything to go by then that reason was Kenshin, and he, Aoshi Shinomori would make sure that Kamiya was ready.

* * *

Kaoru paced the floor slowly and rushed over to the window as Kamatari's car winded slowly up the long driveway. It crunched to a halt outside the house and she could just make out Misao mincing her way towards the front door.

She strolled out casually to meet them as they all made their way to the kitchen. She sidled up to Kamatari and leaned her head on his shoulder as he wrapped an arm around her.

"You're all snug in your jammies."

Kaoru grimaced "Yeah I wasn't about to wait around in my dress, as pretty as it is, it's still not that comfortable."

"You were waiting for moi?" he feigned a look of surprise and Kaoru rolled her eyes.

"Yes I was waiting for you." Exasperation evident in her tone.

"I think hot chocolate and cookies are in order." He informed everyone stoutly.

"I'm getting changed." Misao snarled before clomping upstairs.

Kaoru watched her go with fascination.

"She wanted to murder Yuki but I wouldn't let her. I tried to placate her by making her realise that the satisfaction gained from Yuki's painful death would pale in comparison to the years of jail she would receive as a result of her actions." Megumi informed her factually, before shrugging elegantly and tugging Sano after her towards their bedroom.

"Uh huh. Misao is very…very." Kaoru finished lamely.

"She is that and many other things." He stated watching the empty space at the top of the stairs that Misao had disappeared into.

In the kitchen Kamatari made them both hot chocolates, using cocoa and choc chips, before placed them ceremoniously in front of Kaoru. She sniffed the steam rising from her mug appreciatively. Not wanting to begin the discussion with her own issues Kaoru decided to start off with Kamatari's.

"So anymore news on the Shishio front?"

Kamatari responded after a moment "None."

"Oh." Kaoru replied in a small voice.

"There are other things that need attention before I can even begin to think about that." He sighed.

Seeing her opening Kaoru dived in "Kenshin is avoiding me."

"He might need some time to think Kao. It's not as if Yuki is some small thing that affected him. His experience with her _changed him completely_."

"I understand that, but how am I supposed to deal with this when I don't know the full story."

Kamatari shrugged "Well no one but Ken knows." He gripped his mug tightly despite the heat emanating from the ceramic "It must have been something terrible."

"I know," Kaoru sighed and couldn't help repeating herself "How am I supposed to help him if I don't know?"

Kamatari stared at her for a moment, as if weighing up his words carefully before speaking. "Kenshin has helped you, hasn't he?"

"Well, he's shown me that we can have a great relationship, and that we're great friends."

"He's helped you with your past Kaoru – shown you that he _understands_. I know he's said something to you, to that effect." He nodded knowingly.

Kaoru pursed her lips in thought. "He has been understanding of my past, that much I'll admit." She reasoned, but before she could continue Kamatari smoothly finished her train of thought for her.

"But your past isn't affecting anyone right now, where as Kenshin's has quite literally turned up on our doorstep."

"Exactly!" she sighed.

"And you need to be informed to be able to defend yourself against the villainous harpy who so obviously wants Kenshin back."

"Exactly – wait, what?" Kaoru exclaimed. "She wants Kenshin back?" Kaoru repeated incredulously.

"In a nutshell." He confirmed. "Why did _you_ think she was back?" he asked curiously.

Kaoru wasn't sure "I –" she faltered, knowing that her response would display a notion uncharacteristically unlike her. "We just started dating," she threw up her hands.

"You were never one to back down from a fight love. And you faired so well this evening." He grinned saluting her with his hot chocolate.

"Oh yeah, it was great." She grumbled with displeasure.

"I think talking to Kenshin is your best option. I know Yuki's style. She'll bring you down by trying to isolate you, make you feel as if you don't belong here at all. I mean its human nature at it's simplest, that you're weakest when you're alone. _We_ won't leave you alone, but it's really you and Kenshin that have to show a united front."

"Oh please, I was born into isolation - I'm fine with that…it's just Kenshin I'm concerned about." She whispered. In those few moments Kaoru realised that her feelings for Kenshin were deeper than she had originally thought. That she wasn't willing to see him rehash the past, and allow this woman to hurt him was enough of a clue. She was willing to protect him, and Kaoru knew that shielding him from pain was devotion beyond simple gestures of love. It was a mixture of loyalty and passion she could scarcely fathom; and she had freely allowed herself to fall into the unknown chasm.

_Is this how Kenshin feels?_ She thought as his low voice whispered into her mind lovingly telling her how beautiful she looked. The dawning realisation gripped her: there was so much more stake.

* * *

Kenshin rubbed his eyes tiredly, and wondered how a multi-million dollar buyout which was supposed to be like taking candy from a baby was proving to be more like convincing Germany that the war was over in 1947. The call couldn't have come at a worse time and he knew Kaoru thought that he was avoiding her. Well he secretly hoped she didn't think that. Aoshi had leaned back in his chair, stretching his long frame when the phone on his desk rang. Kenshin wasn't sure he wanted to answer it, just in case it was an idiot from London who had _another_ problem. Hesitantly he picked it up.

"Hello?"

"_Hey…it's Kaoru." _

"I know." He murmured softly his heart beating a little faster at her soft voice.

"_I just wanted to know what time you think you'll be done with your work"_

"I'm done now. Did you want to grab a night cap?"

"_No, I had some hot chocolate – just knock on my door whenever you come upstairs okay?"_

"Sure." He agreed uncertainly. Kaoru _never _invited him up to her room.

Five minutes later Kenshin stood in front of Kaoru's bedroom door. He ran his hand through his hair before lifting it to knock. The door swung open to reveal Kaoru in a cute pair of Pyjamas. Her white shirt was loose and the long pants hung low on her hips, folded several times at the bottom.

"Hey." She greeted softly, motioning for him to come in. "How did the work stuff go?" she asked politely.

Kenshin slanted her a look of amusement "Since when has my work been of so much interest to you?"

"I was trying to be a supportive yet polite girlfriend." She stated folding her arms.

He chuckled lowly "It went alright."

"And?"

"And it'll keep until I get back." He settled himself onto the edge of her bed. His eyes were tired and his back hurt, so he fell backwards onto the soft comforter, linking his hands on his stomach. "You didn't ask me up here to talk about my work Kaoru." He flicked an eye open and watched her. Kaoru climbed onto the bed and lay on her side next to him.

"I talked to Yuki." She stated simply and he waited for her to continue. "She tried to convince me that you and Tomoe had something going on, and that you didn't really care about me. Not that I believe her." Kaoru added quickly.

Kenshin sighed and rubbed his face. Yuki would _never_ learn.

"What do you want me to say Kaoru?"

"I don't _want_ you to say anything. I _need_ you to tell me whatever it is you're obviously not." _Obviously?_ Kenshin thought wryly.

"What makes you think I am?" he asked his voice measured and steady.

Kaoru's tone was final "I know you've been understanding about my issues, but I also know you're not telling me something, and I know it must be terrible – which is why no one knows what it is. But I can't help you unless I know."

Kenshin blinked repeatedly and stared at the ceiling. He didn't appear to be relenting at all as he turned his head to look at her.

She slid her hand over his and kissed his mouth softly "Kenshin. Please. I don't want to see you hurt again. If I can help you through this, if I can even minimise the pain by just a bit - I'll stay and fight."

"Okay" his voice was heavy with defeat.

* * *

I have my final exams in a week, so updates will slow down considerably...I'm stressing like there's no tomorrow :-s

You know the drill - the good, the bad and even the ugly - I can handle it ;-)

cheers,

Iuvenalis.


	11. Chapter 11

I do not known Rurouni Kenshin ;-)

**Strange Affliction**

**Chapter 11 – Dream Angel **

It was raining again and Kaoru could see the large droplets fall almost as if they were landing with heavy blows on her already burdened heart. She always knew that involvement with someone would bring unforseen circumstances, but this time it was different. This time her heart was bound to the situation and she couldn't see the road ahead as clearly as she used to. Prognostication was known to be one of her best attributes and of late it seemed to be failing at an alarming rate. She reached over and gently moved Kenshins fringe away from his face, his breathing continued slow and steady. Last night he hadn't returned to his room and he was still clothed in the outfit he had worn yesterday. He had been emotionally and physically drained; Kaoru had held him in her arms until he had fallen asleep, lulled by the gentle beat of her heart.

It was odd to think that such a resilient individual, who had supported his family for so long, could be so fragile.

"_I found out that Yuki had been sleeping with other men, and I left as soon as I knew. I just didn't know what I would say even if I did see her, so I left." Kenshins eyes were closed as he recalled the details and Kaoru waited patiently. "I backpacked my way back to England. I realised that although having freedom while I was young was important, there were responsibilities that needed to be taken care of. My whole family was depending on our family business to flourish and it was my duty. I'd had my fun and it was time to take the role I had been groomed for. I didn't resent it, Kaoru…I liked my days at university and I loved my degree so it's not as if I had drawn the short straw."_

"_So you didn't feel as if the burden had unfairly fallen upon your shoulders?" Kaoru asked carefully._

"_No, I knew I had to take up that responsibility. But in all honesty, it's not as if I didn't have fun and experience the highs of youthful ignorance. I experienced everything." He stated simply. Kaoru nodded thoughtfully. "Not long after I took over I hired a whole new board and our business took off. We took a lot of big risks but the rewards were complicit with those risks we took. I'm not sure whether Yuki had been keeping an eye on me through the media, but she turned up on my door step about 1 and a half years after I took over the business. By this point I had become…a very impassive individual I guess. I had understood what behaviour was necessary in boardrooms, mergers and acquisitions and she must have realised I had changed. At the same time however, she thought she could still charm me into thinking whatever she said was the truth."_

"_Did she know that you knew about her indiscretions?"_

"_She would have figured it out from my general demeanour. I wasn't forthcoming or friendly – I was very short with words. So after she realised that I knew that she had cheated on me, she then claimed that it was all a misunderstanding; that she really had loved me and that she'd…" Kenshin sighed and paused as if he couldn't quite fathom how to say it "she claimed that she had been dealing with a problem which had prevented her from clearing up the issue with me after I had left."_

_Kaoru was sceptical "What problem?"_

_Kenshin decided that a short description was better than a long winded explanation "Yuki said that after I left she had found out that she was pregnant." _

"_With your child?"_

"_Well, at this point I wasn't sure. But let's face it, the possibility of me being the father was quite high. After all, we had been in a relationship at the time of conception. I decided that I would take the risky approach and informed her that I didn't believe she had been pregnant, and if she had been – it wasn't mine."_

"_But you had doubts?"_

"_Too many. But I wasn't about to let her know. She was determined to get something out of the situation and a week later I received a document in the mail - confirmation of Yuki's pregnancy. This threw me into more confusion because the child had been conceived while we were in a relationship and there was proof of the pregnancy itself during that time."_

"_But you still don't have confirmation of parentage." She pointed out logically._

"_Exactly. So I told her through my lawyers that I wanted to see the child. And after DNA testing I would grant her some sort of agreement to sharing the responsibilities. Yuki was adamant that I outline some sort of financial proposal regarding the child otherwise I would never see him."_

"_Like child support or something?" Kaoru asked quickly._

"_No," Kenshin responded heavily "She wanted a lump sum benefit in exchange."_

"_In exchange?" Kaoru repeated in confusion, before it clicked "She wanted to sell you your own child?"_

_Kenshin confirmed the depraved assertion in one word "Yes."_

"_Oh my god." Kaoru breathed in horror._

_Kenshin pushed on regardless of her disgusted expression "I was not so gullible. I demanded to see the child and have DNA testing so that I could confirm if I really was the father. And even if I wasn't I probably would have adopted the poor kid anyway – Yuki would have never made a good mother and no child deserved to be in such a situation."_

"_And then?"_

"_And then what I found out next was something I wasn't expecting. Although I knew that Yuki was conniving I didn't think she would ever sink to those levels." He murmured bitterly "I found out that although she had given birth to a baby boy, he had actually been still born. During the eighth month of her pregnancy she couldn't handle the changes her body was experiencing and tried to abort the baby herself. In doing so she killed the child and was taken to hospital for a forced birth."_

"_What happened to the baby's body?"_

_Kenshin covered his face with his arm, shielding his eyes from Kaoru's. "I don't know. No body knows since everything took place in a backwater hospital. They were more for sweeping everything under the carpet instead of reporting incidents to the correct authorities."_

"_Oh Kenshin. So you never found out whether you were the father or not…"_

"_No. But I had a grave made for him, in our family's cemetery. No one goes there so no questions have been raised about it." He revealed._

"_You would make a great dad." Kaoru smiled at him._

_He turned to look at her, his violet eyes filled with grief "Do you think so?"_

"_Yeah, I'd have kids with you." The words just came out of her mouth before she could stop herself._

_Kenshin grinned despite the pain in his heart. "Oh? I'll keep you to that." Kaoru always managed to lighten his burdened heart. He wished he had met her before now. When he was still young and careless. He would have married her by now, they might have even had kids, and he was surprised to find himself not averse to the idea of having Kaoru as a wife and mother of his children._

* * *

Kamatari sorted the photos again into different groups for Tomoe's perusal. He once more pondered his conversation with Kaoru from the day before. Although he had told her Kenshin had experienced something terrible, he hadn't told her how much he had known about the situation. At the time he had been in high school and living in the same townhouse as everyone else. Kenshin hadn't wanted Kamatari attending boarding school like he had, and thank god for that, because Kamatari knew he wouldn't have been able to stand the constant teasing; it had been bad enough in public school. He'd heard the numerous negotiations Kenshin had gone through with his solicitors but wasn't sure about what he was referring to when they had discussed payments. Payments for what exactly?

He knew that during this period, Kenshin had become withdrawn and distanced himself from the family. Everyone had noticed; Megumi, Misao, Tae and Sae had all been living with him at the time and it was quite obvious that he was being dragged down by an unknown dilemma. It was only when Yuki created a scene at the house one afternoon that anyone had realised that the issue was linked to a woman from Kenshins past.

Everyone had found out about how Yuki had cheated on Kenshin – that he had told everyone quite freely. He had also lain down the law that evening: he never wanted to hear her name spoken in this house _ever_ again. And from that day forth, no one had. Yuki had disappeared as quickly as she had appeared and everything slowly fell into a monotonous rhythm.

Kamatari had seen the change in Kenshin. When he had returned from backpacking he had been quiet but hopeful. After the Yuki dilemma, he had withdrawn into himself completely. It was as if the old Kenshin had never existed and he immersed himself in the business. No one had been able to help Kenshin because he had closed himself off from them, and Kamatari hadn't tried. Instead he'd run away to Australia to have what he thought his family would never accept.

He realised that Kenshin was intuitive in understanding others problems and always took it upon himself to resolve family issues. He saw them as his backbone to reality and reason for succeeding and his continued focus on them had shifted attention away from himself. How had no one seen it?

He looked up from the photo he had been staring at blankly for the last 10 minutes to see Kaoru stroll in, still wearing her Pyjamas.

"You're still wearing your clothes from yesterday." Kaoru pointed out. She had wanted to chat with Kamatari before Kenshin woke up and now would be the best time.

"Good morning to you too" he responded huffily. "How's Ken?" he asked without prelude to the topic.

Kaoru sighed and sat down heavily in the high chair near Kamatari's work table "Still asleep. He was exhausted." Kamatari raised an eyebrow at this. "Not like that! Geez, is it possible for you to keep your mind out of the gutter this early in the morning?"

"Impossible darling. So?"

"He was tired so I'm letting him sleep in." Kaoru deliberately avoided touching on the subject of why he was sleeping in her room or what had gone on the night before.

"And?"

Kaoru wasn't sure what to say "And nothing."

Kamatari sighed in overly dramatic fashion "I know he's sleeping in your bed missy, so fess up."

"We didn't do anything Kam. He just wanted to be near someone that's all. We talked and then he fell asleep."

"Humph. You" he pointed at her "are the only woman in the world who could have had your wicked way with Kenshin Himura - but didn't." he shook his head sadly.

"I'm not sure he would have been in the mood for that kind of thing Kam. Not after the whole Yuki dealy."

"And things were going so well." He sighed. "He talked about it with you?"

"Yeah." Kaoru nodded slowly. "Kenshin gives the impression that he's some high and mighty being who is unaffected by human emotion. But his life hasn't been a bed of roses Kam."

"I know. I was living at our London townhouse with everyone and going to school there when Yuki turned up one day. That's how we all know her. She might not know all of us, but we most certainly know her. Very unfortunate acquaintance." He finished sourly.

"I wondered how everyone knew her." Kaoru murmured thoughtfully. "I'll talk to you later okay – I don't want Kenshin to wake up alone." Her cheeks warmed slightly at the tender admission. Hopping up she trotted off before Kamatari could make a comment.

He was pretty sure Shishio had no idea about how heinous Yuki's personality was. Otherwise Kamatari was sure that he would never have allowed her to represent his wines _anywhere_.

* * *

Kenshin felt the wind touch his face with chilled fingertips before they withdrew, leaving him icy numb. He stared down at the ground to the tiny cement block commemorating the life which had ended before it had begun. _What am I doing in the cemetery?_ He felt a warm hand on his arm and looked confusedly to his right. Kaoru stood there in a simple black dress, a small smile adorning her beautiful face.

"_It's time."_ She said so softly, he almost missed hearing it. She turned him back to the cemetery entrance to reveal the rest of his family. _Everyone was here? How did they know…?_

As he slowly closed his eyes, he opened them to find himself staring at the vast wine fields in Provence. The weather was warm and the sweet smell of grapes hung in the air, suspended by the moisture in the atmosphere. The sunlight beat down upon his head, and he could feel the heat being absorbed by his hair. He was wearing what he had always worn to pick the grapes: tattered jeans, a plain shirt and leather boots. The sounds of footsteps rushing towards him had him turning quickly. Kaoru was wearing a red cotton summer dress, running through the wine grapes with a straw hat in her hand. Her dress fluttered around her slim legs as she ran with abandon. As she reached him she threw herself into his arms and he caught her just in time. Her blue eyes sparkled with happiness.

"_This is wonderful, but it's time to return." _She whispered.

"_Time to return where?"_

"_Home."_ She smiled before kissing him lightly on his lips.

Kenshin opened his eyes to see Kaoru leaning over him with a small smile on her lips. Her hair was bed messy, and she was still wearing the same adorable cotton pyjamas.

"Hey." She greeted him softly. "You must have been having weird dreams."

Kenshin struggled to focus on her face "I dreamt about…stuff. Was I talking in my sleep?" he asked wearily.

"Mmm no, at first you were frowning and then you were smiling. Like I said – weird."

Kenshin surmised that since he was still sleeping in Kaoru's bed where he had fallen asleep last night, then he must have been dreaming. He hadn't dreamt such colour and vivid imagery since…he couldn't remember the last time he had. And Kaoru had been in every one, like a constant element pulling him back to where he was needed most; reminding him of the present. She had impacted his life incredibly, even after the turbulence of yesterday's events, he was happy. It made him happy to see her face in his dreams and the first one he saw the moment he woke up. She was his dream angel.

_Dream catch me, yeah  
Dream catch me when I fall  
Or else I won't come back at all…_

* * *

Kaoru showered and changed into jeans and her favourite band t-shirt from the cooperative Powderfinger Silverchair concert. It was peach coloured with a tree calligraphied on the back saying the bands name "Powderfinger" emblazoned across the bottom. She wasn't putting effort into her appearance today – she just didn't feel like it.

She ran down the stairs and stopped short at the sight of the dishevelled Himura household. They had all either put a rather shameful effort into their outfits or hadn't changed at all, as was the case with Kamatari, and Misao who was lounging in her chair in her pyjamas. They all stared at her as she walked into the kitchen. She looked back to check that Kenshin still wasn't coming down the stairs before turning to address everyone.

"I know you guys want to ask Kenshin questions – but everyone has their secrets," at this point Kamatari coughed quite pointedly and Kaoru pinned him with a look "Secrets which sometimes are revealed without choice," she amended "but we all know this situation is one which needs to be dealt with carefully. I don't even want to hear about how last night Yuki this, or last night Yuki that, or Yuki is such a blah blah blah. Okay?" She looked at them sternly hands on hips.

"I think we deserve to know." Misao inserted in a small voice. "She made Ken unhappy, and we love him, so how can we fight the good fight when we don't know the details?"

"All I'm saying is that you all know she isn't a good person. And even if you _did_ know the details it doesn't change what she is."

Misao wasn't one to be put off and grumbled to that effect "I still think we should know."

"I agree with Kaoru." Added on Tomoe helpfully "We need to be supportive and not be intrusive." Linking her hand with Akira's as she looked at everyone.

"Just be normal. That's all I'm asking." Kaoru threw Tomoe a grateful look.

"We can be normal Tanuki," Megumi drawled taking a delicate bite from her toast.

Kaoru glared at Megumi before grabbing a plate off the sideboard and loading it with food. Tae and Sae watched her pile on the food and asked if _she_ was okay.

"I'm fine…I'm just hungry" she defended herself childishly. Sitting down a little too heavily in the seat next to Kamatari, she began to quickly eat her food. It was actually more akin to shovelling.

"Ah Kao, are you sure you have enough food there?" Kaoru stopped mid shovel to throw him a glare and pour more butter on her eggs. After swallowing the large mouthful of food she sat glumly staring at her overfull plate.

"I'm eating my feelings" she confessed, the knife and fork gripped tightly in her hands. Kaoru was still shaken by what Yuki had done. What kind of woman was she? Kamatari's description of her being a villainous harpy simply did not do her justice.

"I forgot to ask this morning – but did Yuki say anything else to you yesterday?"

"No." Kaoru replied shortly. "Why?"

"I was just curious…I thought she might have said a little more that's all."

"Look she didn't say anything to me and I didn't say anything to her. Not much anyway" Kaoru responded lowly "My theory on villainous harpies is the same as my theory on mushrooms: feed them shit and keep them in the dark."

Kamatari chuckled in extreme amusement, rubbing her shoulder soothingly as he reached for his morning tea. Kaoru wished Yuki would take a leaping jump off the Niagara Falls and never emerge, but drowning was too good for her. Damn the stupid woman and her interfering bitchiness. Ugh it was too early in the day for this. Kaoru groaned as her stomach twisted painfully. Maybe she shouldn't have eaten so much, she thought balefully as she leaned back in her chair hoping her stomach would ease.

Kamatari wasn't as surprised as everyone else at Kaoru's possessive and controlling attitude towards the situation. She had reacted in the same manner when Kenshin had tried to interfere in his life. She always acted the same way when something precious in her life was being tampered with; she took no prisoners and her radar for such things had an incredible precision Kamatari just couldn't fathom.

* * *

_Every time  
I close my eyes  
It's you  
And I know now  
Who I am_

Kenshin braced himself under the pressure of the hot water, his hands spaced wide apart flat on the white tiled surface. The water beat down on his head like the heat from Provence, in his dream. It had seemed so real…he wanted to take Kaoru there. He wanted to share that part of his life with her…he wanted her to take him to her past as well. He sensed that she was mollified at having been granted access to his tattered beginnings. Perhaps now she would feel more comfortable in telling him about hers.

_You do so much  
That you don't know  
It's true  
And I know now  
Who I am_

He slowly turned twisted the taps shut, and pressed his face into his warm towel. There were hard days ahead and he wasn't sure how he would fare in the emotional melee.

His progress down to breakfast was slow and he wasn't feeling very hungry at all. In fact he felt a bit nauseous. As he pushed open the kitchen door he spied everyone sitting and eating breakfast in a hodge podge mix of Himura harmony.

"Morning Ken san!" Megumi trilled from her spot at the table and Sano saluted him carelessly. Aoshi tipped his cup at Kenshin in greeting.

"Hey Kenshbin!" Yahiko yelled with a mouth full of food, muffling what he was saying, while Tsubame waved prettily.

Misao however, was pushing her food around her plate in a glum manner while darting him thoughtful looks.

"Good morning everyone." He mumbled scratching his head and walking towards the drinks table. He surreptitiously glanced around and couldn't see Kaoru anywhere.

"This calendar says that there's the wine fete on today." came Kaoru's voice as she strode into the room clutching an A3 sized calendar. She saw Kenshin and continued in, dropping the calendar on the table for Misao to look at.

"It says there'll be rides!" Misao informed them excitedly, her earlier glumness forgotten.

"Grow up weasel!"

"I'll grow up when you do Yahiko Chan!" she hurled back.

Kaoru chuckled and shifted closer to Kenshin.

"The shower was a god send wasn't it?" she grinned at him wrapping an arm around his neck.

"It most certainly was." He rested his forehead against hers and whispered softly. "You're my dream angel."

"Is this another pet name I'll have to get used to?" she whispered back.

"It's not a pet name – it's what you are, to me."

_There's a place I go  
When I'm alone  
Do anything I want  
Be anyone I wanna be  
But it is us I see  
And I cannot believe I'm fallin'  
That's where I'm goin'  
Where are you goin'  
Hold it close won't let this go_

* * *

The fete was not far from their estate and the walk would do them all a world of good. Kenshin held Kaoru's hand as they walked, down the winding roads towards the town centre. He had this song stuck in his head since the moment he had woken up that morning, the words running through his head, the melody dipped and he'd find himself mouthing the words or humming the tune. It so perfectly described Kaoru…

_See you as a mountain  
A fountain of God  
See you as a descant soul  
In the setting sun  
You as the sound  
As the silence is lost_

He watched her from the corner of his eye. Her hair had been messily twisted into a bun, letting small bits of fringe fall over her forehead shimmering like blue black jewels in the sun. She was talking to Tomoe about her wedding dress, her voice happily relating certain details that needed to be addressed and how far along they were in the patternmaking. He was sure that she didn't know how hard he'd fallen for her. He caught himself as he thought about the chorus.

_Dream catch me yeah,_

_Dream catch me when I fall_

_Or else I won't come back at all…_

But for her, he would come back every time.

* * *

I know I said I wouldn't update until after exams, but I had a burst of inspiration :-)

You would not believe how obsessed I am with this song at the moment…as if it wasn't obvious enough with the amount of times I mentioned it in this chapter. The song is called "Dream Catch Me" by Newton Faulkner – you should all listen to it!

I also stole a line which I fully acknowledge is from the movie 'The Departed' which was directed by Martin Scorsese. If anyone wants to watch it and is not averse to blood and gore then it's a fantastic movie. It's also a remake of a Chinese movie called 'Infernal Affairs' which has a _totally_ different ending to 'The Departed' and if anyone has seen them both then I'd love to know which ending you think is better :-).

And thank you to all those well wishes for me to go well in my exams – I'll be needing it!

You know the drill – the good, the bad, and the ugly!

Cheers,

Iuvenalis.


	12. Chapter 12

**I do not own Rurouni Kenshin :-)**

**  
Strange Affliction**

**Chapter 12 – These days**

Kamatari stared at his bedroom ceiling. The spindled tree outside his windows cast moonlight shadows along the white surface. The wind shook its branches with ferocity and each wave of air swept over the house viciously. This trip to Australia was supposed to be a break away from England and all the secrets it held, but it seemed that the ocean which separated the two was just not enough. Like an ominous shadow it had shrouded their conscious and now each of their lives were slowly unravelling.

Kaoru had said nothing about Kenshin, but her actions were saying the opposite. Her behaviour displayed that she knew something; something she wasn't willing to impart to anyone. He wished she'd tell _him_ at least. In some ways he agreed with Misao - he wanted to know; but in others he didn't.

And now he felt funny around Shishio. It had increased exponentially ever since he found out about Yuki. He didn't want Shishios good nature to be tainted by a woman of her character, and each time he had seen them talking he felt like screaming. He had seen casually her place her hand on his arm, as if she was allowed to _touch_ him in such an intimate manner. He wanted to rip her arm off, and tell Shishio everything. But he didn't know everything and that would be a story only Kenshin could tell – it was not his to divulge.

He just wanted everything to disappear. He wanted to go back to Sydney and live in his apartment with Kaoru so he could bitch about stupid models and their ridiculous requests. After all, that was what he did best: runaway.

* * *

Kaoru lay curled in a ball on her bed, watching the clock on her bedside table tick quietly. The wind outside was incredibly fierce, and perhaps the weather was why she couldn't get warm. The sheets, the blanket, her pillow – everything seemed cold and smoothly unfamiliar. Throwing back her sheets she swung her feet over the side of the bed and felt nothing as her frozen feet touched the icy wooden floor boards.

She needed another blanket. Or a hot water bottle. Or a heat bag. Teeth chattering she shuffled over the window seat cupboard in the hopes of finding another doona when her gaze was riveted by the scene outside. The wind pushed and pulled the trees from side to side past her window, occasionally blocking the moonlight. But there amidst the chaos stood a lonely figure in the middle of the pristine field. _Kamatari._ Kaoru blinked in case her eyes were deceiving her, but the solitary figure remained. Stuffing the blanket back inside the cupboard she grabbed her overcoat and headed downstairs. She stood beside the back door peering out into the darkness her eyes trained on Kamatari as she wrapped a scarf haphazardly around her neck. Pulling open the door she stepped outside and hurried towards Kamatari. The wind pushed her cruelly almost making her fall to the side as she struggled to make the distance.

"Kamatari!" she screamed almost desperately as she felt herself involuntarily crumple to the ground.

Kamatari heard his name and turned to find Kaoru on all fours battling against the wind. Stumbling forwards she stood in front of him. Their hair splayed wildly in the rushing air, Kaoru breathless from her battle with nature, Kamatari silently watching her with an unreadable look in his eyes. Stepping forward Kaoru wrapped her arms around his slim figure. He was much taller than her, and her head fit snugly under his chin. Kamatari responded immediately, enclosing her in the warm circle of his arms.

Kaoru wasn't sure why but she instinctively knew that was what he needed. Even though they had talked, she had still felt as there was an intangible gulf between them. As if Kamatari wanted to reassure her of his confidence in their friendship, but holding back enough so she wouldn't suspect anything. But she had seen it, felt it and wondered. She was happy, and felt the warmth creep back into her petrified limbs.

Kamatari felt the worlds silence and revelled in the moment. With the air raging powerfully around him, he had never felt safer than he did now. In Kaoru's arms he felt the warmth of the world and all the best things in life personified.

* * *

"I liked the Ferris Wheel yesterday" Kaoru murmured waving her toast around carelessly "particularly that bit where we got stuck – at the top." She glared at Megumi for making them ride it.

Megumi rolled her eyes "Oh please Tanuki, there are worse things in life – I gave you an excuse to grope poor Ken for a good 10 minutes."

Kenshin cleared his throat elegantly before slanting Megumi a look of warning.

"What?" Megumi responded lightly looking completely unashamed.

"She can grope me any time she wants" he added under his breath so only Kaoru could hear. Kaoru bit her lip and felt her cheeks warm. Kenshin watched her delicately bite her toast watching Kamatari from the corner of her eye meanwhile Kamatari returned the look, smirking over the top of his tea cup. He recalled what he had seen last night with equanimity.

_Kenshin was feeling rationally sleepless. Rationally because he had a reason to worry this was linked to his sleeplessness. He uncrossed his arms and recrossed them before rubbing his index finger across his lip in agitation. The same thought recurred in his mind: how should he deal with Yuki? He felt better now that Kaoru knew about his past but the problem still itself remained. Kenshin restlessly paced the length of his room past his windows until he felt as if he had been walking for hours. He tensely halted in front of his window and watched the wind thrash the earth intensely. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness they were ensnared by the sight of two figures wrapped tightly in each others arms. He smiled to himself as he recognised them – it was about time they worked out their differences._

Today they were back to their mischievous ways – god only knew what they were planning.

* * *

"Kenshin should just tell Yuki to piss off." Kamatari punctuated the last two words by breaking the small branch into two pieces.

"I wish I could tell the woman to piss off" Kaoru complained squinting into the glaring sun as she surveyed the aftermath of last nights destruction. Branches, twigs and leaves lay everywhere and they were all attempting to pick up the larger bits and pieces.

Kamatari stood straight with a branch in each hand "I wonder what he's going to say to her?" he murmured. Kaoru straightened to watch Kenshin from underneath her wide brim floppy hat. Ayame was sitting on his shoulders her little arms flailing as she encouraged Kenshin to move faster.

Since Yuki had made her appearance Kaoru had often wondered how Kenshin would deal with her. It was odd thinking about it because Kaoru would have felt extreme anger, and a deep seated resentment towards any person who had treated her in such a manner. Kenshin however, seemed to have reached this point of equanimity which separated his younger traumatised self from his presently older more experienced identity. It was weird how he segregated the two parts of his life. She wondered whether Kenshin would tell her about it afterwards.

Kamatari waited until everyone was sufficiently occupied before escaping. He had a resolve. Even though he knew bits and pieces of Kenshins story it wasn't his to tell. So he decided to do the next best thing; issue a warning to Shishio in the hopes that he would either believe him or investigate Yuki.

Knocking back the gear to second he waited until the car halted outside the silo before getting out. Glancing around he noticed no one around and walked up the slope towards the wine tasting bar. As he strolled in he caught sight of Shishio behind the bar turning bottles of wine in a slow and precise manner.

Kamatari decided not to disturb him and plonked himself down onto the wooden stool on the patron side of the bench.

As Shishio turned he caught himself when he recognised the elegant figure of Kamatari lounging on his bar stool.

"Kamatari, to what do I owe the pleasure?" he greeted the other man warmly. Kamatari slipped off his sunnies and parked them pertly on his head. His silky hair ruffled and fell in strategic lines over his beautiful almond shaped eyes.

Kamatari watched Shishio carefully before speaking "I'm more open to discussion over a glass of quality wine." He smiled.

"Alright – I have some warm Summer Red available?"

"Sweet and light – just my taste." Kamatari commented sipping his wine delicately. Shishio watched Kamatari's tongue dart out and lap up the wine from the corner of his mouth, and almost felt like groaning. The man was just too pretty. "How long have you known Yuki?"

Shishio threw him an uncertain look "She was well recommended by the wine committees in Italy."

"Did you check her record in France?" He inserted quietly.

"I wasn't aware that she had experience in the French regions." Shishio's tone remained neutral.

"I'm not saying you should…but it may be in your best interests to – let say – make sure she has a clean record."

Shishio had had enough of the cryptic talk "What do you know?"

"It's not my story to tell." He stated simply. He'd rehearsed the line a thousand times anyway.

"Then why warn me?"

"Because I wouldn't want to see your business suffer when I could prevent it from happening." He drawled.

"I'll be honest - I figured you didn't like me very much." Shishio grimaced, his eyes never budging from Kamatari's face.

"You figured wrong." He winked rakishly at Shishio. "It's a friendly warning from one comrade to another. That's all" he shrugged before pulling his sunglasses over his eyes.

Shishio struggled to find words. Instead he moved his hand to cover Kamatari's long elegant fingers. Kamatari felt the calluses on Shishios hand slide over his own skin and felt like shivering.

"Thank You." Shishio stated simply.

"Anytime." Kamatari slid his hand away and strolled back out the door.

As he drove back home and strode towards the front door, he realised that this was his first mistake. He should have used the back door. The second mistake was letting slip exactly where he had been for the past hour. Kaoru was all over him like a beagle at the Sydney airport.

"Why were you at Shishio's?" she demanded quietly "What did you say?" she hissed.

"I drank some wine and I said nothing." He defended himself. And technically he was right – he had drunk some wine and said nothing. Well nothing explicit anyway. To this, Kaoru arched an eyebrow and leaned back on her left leg cocking her hip in silent enquiry.

Kamatari sighed "Let's find somewhere to talk first."

"Fine." She grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the back porch.

* * *

Kenshin straightened his shirt collar as he observed his reflection in his full length mirror. He had his black Armani Chinese collar short on, coupled with his all back Versace suit. He tied his hair back in a high ponytail, the shorter fringes covering his golden eyes and framing his face. The overall look exuded an icy hauteur which Kenshin had perfected over years of business meetings.

And what was that thing Kamatari always said _'If you're going down, you might as well look good doing it…'_

He looked like a fallen angel. It was to time the face the past.

* * *

"Work those hips baby! Whoo!" Misao yelled before whistling sharply at Sae and Tae who were raking up small twigs. They both turned and gave Misao matching cheeky grins before turning back to the task hand. She was feeling kinda bored, which was odd considering the level of turmoil the family had been experiencing the past few days. She also wondered when Kenshin would burn that brazen hussy's hide and send her packing. Misao wanted to be there, mostly because she was curious but also because she just wanted to cheer Kenshin on when he told Yuki where to go. Though she had a feeling that it would ruin Kenshins usually calm reserved ice cold dressing down.

She watched Kamatari and Kaoru whispering to one another on the back porch. Kaoru had crossed her arms tightly while Kamatari appeared to be explaining something with an air of nonchalance. Kaoru was really getting fired up now, her mouth was barely moving as she quietly berated Kamatari – and that always meant she was _really_ angry. Misao sidled closer in the periphery in the hopes of catching snippets of their conversation. Ducking down she squatted next to the wooden support post, wrapped her hands around her knees for balance and listened carefully.

"I cannot believe that you went over there and said that." Kaoru muttered.

"I didn't say anything!" Kamatari responded hotly. "How could I?" he continued sullenly "I know nothing."

Kaoru groaned "That is so not the point."

"Oh well. No use crying over spilt milk." Misao heard Kamatari miming brushing his hands.

"What are we going to tell Kenshin?"

"We're not going to – Shishio won't say anything, I'm sure he won't."

"Oh really? Well he'll ask Kenshin – I mean I would if someone told me that one of my workers was untrustworthy, and I knew someone who knew her before she worked for me." Misao had to agree with Kaoru there. Any good business person wouldn't let a warning like that pass without adequate investigation – and that would mean asking others who knew the person about their personality or history.

"Ah crap. I hadn't thought of that. Even if he does I'm sure he won't say I said anything." Kamatari trailed off uncertainly.

Misao's mouth formed an O of surprise as she contemplated what would happen next, and suddenly she didn't feel so bored.

As she nibbled on her chocolate covered scotch finger biscuit Misao watched Kaoru from the corner of her eye. Kenshin hadn't emerged from wherever it was he had disappeared to and Kaoru didn't appear to have noticed that her boyfriend was in absentia. Misao cleared her throat loudly while looking at Kaoru who still appeared to be in her own world. She tried again and this time was rewarded with a quick glance, and Misao pounced.

"So how're things with you and Kamatari?" Kaoru's eyes flicked back to Misao in mild surprise, she was expecting Misao to ask about her and Kenshins relationship.

"Better." Kaoru replied truthfully. She hadn't thought that Kamatari felt like they had drifted apart that much. He hadn't said anything about their relationship after she had told him that she planned on seriously dating Kenshin. She had thought that with time Kamatari would realise that their friendship would remain the same, but apparently he still needed to be reassured. And in all honesty she was relieved that she had noticed, otherwise they would have inevitably drifted apart; Kamatari would have wanted her to be happy, and if choosing Kenshin over their friendship would give her that, then so be it. "I guess we're all a little shaken by the latest turn of events." She stated softly.

Misao simply watched Kaoru as she stared down into her tea cup. "What will you and Kenshin do when you have to come back to Sydney?"

Kaoru frowned at the question and wondered why she hadn't thought of it before.

"I haven't thought about that yet" she admitted.

Misao sighed and frowned "I don't blame you. I mean first the whole Kenshin not trusting you thing, then the Kamatari thing and then the Yuki dealy. You must be having a tough time."

"When you care for the people involved it's never a chore – more of act which you can't help but commit."

"Do you reckon Yuki is here for Kenshin?"

"As in to take him away or something?" Kaoru asked quickly, mildly amused at the random topic choices, to which Misao nodded slowly.

"I don't know what she's doing. I honestly believe that she's here to promote wines – that's her job. But I think she was more inclined to come here because she knew Kenshin would be here."

"Why isn't Kenshin telling her to go away or something?" Misao demanded. In her world everything was pretty simple: if you liked something, you kept it close but if you hated/disliked it then you to got rid of it. So why wasn't Kenshin?

Kaoru sighed for hundredth time "It's not as easy as that Misao. Your family has reputation and a fair amount of media attention. Should this come to light, it could reflect badly on the Himura Corporation among other things. Why invite scandal when you can carefully think about something and resolve it in a peaceful manner. Even though that's not what she deserves, it's what is best." It was the most contemplative Kaoru had ever seen Misao. She exuded an air of confusion which was distinctly unlike the active, cheerful woman with an opinion about everything. "My dad always used to say: before you think about the closest benefit, you need to think of the farthest loss."

"So I should think about the farthest benefit as well as the closest loss?" Kaoru looked at her in surprise. It was an incredible insight for someone who appeared to have very vague notions. "I wish Kenshin had met you before."

Kaoru guessed she meant before Yuki. That however, would have been impossible. Kaoru would never have become what she was today without experiencing everything she had, and the same applied to Kenshin.

"Misao I understand your sentiments, but Kenshin as well myself would never be the way we are without having gone through everything we have. I wouldn't wish either of our lives for anyone else." Her voice firm "Everyone wants to live a life free from negativity and bad experiences, but this is an unattainable ideal. Without the lows we can never appreciate the highs of life. Can you imagine how unexciting all good things would be when we didn't know how terrible life could be?"

Misao looked up thoughtfully "I haven't experienced anything terrible."

"But through those you care about, you have seen the results of others terrible actions. You were affected, and hurt by association – which is why you want the best for everyone you love. You know life can be so much worse and as such you appreciate everything you have." She remembered all the times she had reminded herself of those facts when she felt as if tomorrow was simply too far away. When the weight of the world became too heavy she listened to her heart and recalled all those moments in which she had almost given up. She had listened to music, watched the rain fall and thought about the future: it would be better, it just had to be.

_Blows the candles out_

_Raise a glass to the night_

_Let all the tension out_

_You've been wound up so tight_

_It's a tender track_

_To plan ahead all the time_

_If you measure the world _

_By what you leave behind_

* * *

Kenshin didn't hesitate as he parked his car and got out. If he contemplated he would be questioning which lead to over thinking, and then he'd have an internal nervous breakdown etc. _Great_.

He strode purposefully towards the front door of the quaint cottage, taking in the homely country style of house. He almost felt like laughing out loud – it just wasn't Yuki's style at all. Served with someone else's blood with a side of easy money was usually her thing. He calmly read the greeting on the placard and rolled his eyes; _Home Sweet Home._ _Oh yeah?_ He felt like throwing it in the garden. Rolling his shoulders back he straightened and stared at the innocent wooden barrier which separated him from his past. He didn't know why but he wished Kaoru was here.

"_She's not just here for the wine is she? Does she want you back?" Kaoru asked carefully. Kenshin didn't respond. "Maybe it was naïve of me, but the thought hadn't occurred to me." She continued in disgust at her own naivety._

"_It wouldn't have. Yuki doesn't deserve one moment of my time, but you don't think the way she does so it's hardly a thought which would have occurred to you. Not immediately, anyway."_

"_What does she hope to gain from this?"_

"_I don't know." He replied softly "I just don't know." Kaoru hugged him from behind and they stood that way for a while._

Kenshin was still wondering what Yuki wanted. He had contemplated several scenarios, the most likely one being that she wanted more money, or she'd sell her story to the highest bidder. But of that were the case, why leave it so long? He shrugged off the emotions and pasted a blank look on his face before knocking with authority on the door. It swung open a few moments later, and Kenshin didn't move a muscle. It was game time.

_It's coming round again_

_Slowly creeping in_

_Time and its command_

_Soon enough it comes_

_Settles in its place_

_Shadow in my face_

_Its pressure in my day_

_This life well it's slipping right through my hands_

_These days turned out nothing like I had planned_

* * *

Kaoru rummaged through her case restlessly in search of the item that had been eluding her for the past hour. She just needed one look, a simple glance would suffice, but the damn thing was nowhere. Finally spying in nestled in the corner of her suitcase, she grabbed it and settled onto the middle of her bed. Lifting open the cover of the box she looked at the one photo she had of her adoptive father and herself. Koushijirou Kamiya wasn't smiling with his lips, but his eyes shone with pride as he hugged Kaoru to his side.

Placing the photo to the side she took out a small cotton square that held the insignia from the Kamiya Dojo which she had stitched quite terribly when she was in high school. She had made it for her father but he had passed away before she could sew it onto the sleeve of his training hakama. With her left hand she picked up the last object in the box, a key. It was an old key almost the as long as her hand, with a large oval head. Its tip was decorated with a metallic symbol which she had never figured out. She rolled it thoughtfully between her thumb and index finger. She wondered when she'd go back there, it had certainly been a very long time.

"Oh you look so squishy…" Kamatari commented leaning over her shoulder.

"Kamatari!" Kaoru groaned in exasperation "When did you get here?"

Eyebrow raised he didn't back down "Well I _did_ knock"

"Whatever." She sighed.

"Is that the key to your dojo?"

"Yeah." She replied softly.

"Feeling nostalgic?"

"Kinda."

"You're not thinking about going back there are you?"

"I dunnow."

"Loving the minimal conversation."

"Mmm. Any updates on the Shishio front?" Kaoru realised she had already asked him those very same words only a few days earlier.

"Nup."

Kaoru twisted around to observe Kamatari over her shoulder.

"You wouldn't be lying to me would you?"

Kamatari sighed and flopped in a boneless manner on the bed.

"I would never lie to you Kaoru." Though Kaoru had a feeling he had done so more than once, if not to protect himself, than to protect her. Right now she just wanted see Kenshin. _Kenshin, where are you?_

* * *

I'm really sorry about how it took me to write this...I'm still not entirely happy with it and if you're not then tell me why - the good, the bad, and the ugly :-)

Cheers,

Iuvenalis.


	13. Chapter 13

I do not own Rurouni Kenshin :-s

**Strange Affliction**

**Chapter 13 – The Winding Road**

_I used to rule the world_

_Seas would rise when I gave the word_

_Now in the morning I sleep alone_

_Sweep the streets I used to own_

Kaoru swept the rolling plans with a quick glance. She had no sentimental emotions to impart regarding the scenery and she felt like a hardened criminal facing the possibility of a life jail sentence. This was why she didn't like getting involved – she ended up doing things like this. Stretching out her arm she knocked on the wooden door three times before stepping back into the shadows. The door swung open almost in slow motion, probably because Kaoru wanted to suspend the moment before it could escape her completely.

"Kaoru Kamiya." Yuki stated quietly "Why am I not surprised to see you here?"

"May I come in? I'll only be a moment." Kaoru asked politely. When Yuki made no move to allow her access Kaoru lifted an eyebrow. "You would never begrudge me this small favour?" To this Yuki moved slightly to the side, letting Kaoru slip past her into the cottage.

Kaoru strode quietly into the small lounge room and turned neatly to face Yuki. "You know why I'm here." She stated.

"Not particularly." Yuki's eyes darted to the darkened doorway that led to a small hallway.

"I'll get straight to the point. Your presence has created quite a stir – in all the wrong ways."

"I can't imagine what you're referring to."

"I'm referring to your past relationship with Kenshin and subsequent events which took place after the falling out." Kaoru phrased it as politely as possible. She watched as Yuki's fist tightened momentarily, her jaw clenched in anger or possible disbelief at how much Kaoru knew.

"What of it?"

"Haven't you hurt them enough?"

"I'm not hurting anybody."

"What exactly do you plan on doing? Even if you did try and sell your story – you're the one who will come out of it worse. I know it, Kenshin knows it – you know it." Kaoru had realised in the last few hours that there was no point in reasoning with people like Yuki. They were impervious to others pain – particularly when they had their eye on the prize.

"I'm just here to do my job." Yuki bit out.

Kaoru expelled a breath of air in frustration "Don't play the idiot. You won't like the result. Listen to me – and listen well: you won't lay one finger on Kenshin. You won't speak or even glance in the direction of anyone in the Himura family. Do I make myself clear?" Kaoru's voice had taken on a low deathly quality, it shimmered with danger and Yuki heard it. She involuntarily stepped back from the petite woman as her aura exuded a menace which extinguished any strength Yuki might have had.

"You can't tell me what to do." Yuki hissed back in true form albeit weakly.

"I'll do that and more." Kaoru responded quietly. "I don't think you quite understand who you're dealing with. I will destroy you." The last words were stated in an ominous manner which left Yuki licking her lips nervously.

_I used to roll the dice_

_Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes_

_Listen as the crowd would sing_

_Now the old king is dead, long live the king_

"And if I don't?" Yuki whispered.

"I wouldn't try it." Kaoru bared her teeth nastily "Or you could and see what happens – though I wouldn't recommend it."

"Bitch."

"Sticks and stones, stick and stones." Kaoru murmured before striding purposefully past Yuki and through the front door. She didn't even bother looking back – she knew the message had been successfully delivered.

_I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing_

_Roman cavalry choirs are singing_

_Be my mirror by sword my shield,_

_For some reason I can't explain_

_Once you go there was never an honest word_

_But that was when I ruled the world._

Yuki stood still as a statue in the spot she had been in from her encounter with Kaoru. She slowly lost the rigidity of her stance and she could feel the cold sweat on her skin. She glanced feverishly towards the darkened hallway and stared at the polished shoes which slowly moved into the light of the lounge room.

"I told you she would come." At the softly spoken statement Yuki's head shot up to meet Kenshins steely gaze.

"Yes." She responded weakly.

"Nothing else to say?" he asked quietly and Yuki shook her head slowly. "I'm not alone. I never will be. In fact I don't think I ever was." He added as an afterthought. When Yuki said nothing he continued on, "As the saying goes, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me. If you don't follow Kaoru's suggestions I'll do more than what she threatened – _I will erase you_. Capiche?"

Even though he had entertained the possibility of paying Yuki off, it left a bad taste in his mouth. He realised that paying her would not minimise the possibility of her selling her story. He had everything he needed and she had nothing. There was little she could do to threaten his life now. Kaoru had shown him that in the end, his family would support him no matter what the circumstances. Most importantly Kaoru would be there for him, and he would be there for her.

Yuki slowly slid to the ground near the couch, and Kenshin felt no sympathy. He didn't care if this was the only job she was able to get – he wanted her gone. He gunned his engine and shifted gears expertly manoeuvring his car down the winding road until he made it home. Everyone was gathered in the kitchen looking worried and lost.

"Kenshin!" Misao squealed before launching herself at him with force that threw him back against the kitchen door.

"Misao" he laughed breathlessly and scanned the room quickly. He couldn't see Kaoru. Was she asleep? "What's wrong?"

"We were worried! We didn't know where you were!" she sniffled into his shirt.

"What about Kaoru?"

"She's probably still looking for you." Misao offered though Kenshin noticed Kamatari looking slightly guilty. After reassuring everyone that he was alive and well, he took the stairs to his room two at a time. He checked Kaoru's room and found no one. He moved onto his own room and found no one there either. Where was she?

He looked out his window and observed the still night, nothing like the night before which had been violent and ferocious. Odd. Walking backwards he sat down on the edge of his bed. He would wait until Kaoru came home.

* * *

Kaoru felt strangely hollow after her encounter with Yuki. How would Kenshin react when he knew that she had threatened Yuki? Would he be mad? She had never felt so terrified at the prospect of losing someone's respect, love and friendship. She sent Kamatari a message on his mobile before placing it in the designated plastic container on the conveyor belt. She watched it move slowly into the plastic flaps with her purse as she strode through the metal detectors. The guard smiled at her and waved her on towards the departure gates.

She couldn't face Kenshin right now. Maybe she just wanted his life to be right, and he needed space? Now she was really kidding herself if she thought she was going away because he needed a break. She was the one who was suffering a severe bout of cowardice.

She stood by the airport window at Gate 36 and watched the planes take off. She'd be on one of them very soon.

_And it's a winding road_

_I've been walking for a long time_

_I still don't know where it goes_

_And it's a long way home_

_I've been searching for a long time_

_I still have hope I'm gonna find my way home_

* * *

Kamatari looked out the sunroom window. He was bored and worried. Very worried. Kaoru had disappeared and now Kenshin was back _without_ her. Great. He slipped his hand into his pocket at the small vibrations and flipped open his mobile. A message from Kaoru?

_Kam, I'm taking off for a while – don't be worried. Can you look after my stuff and bring it back to Sydney with you whenever you get back? I'm sorry for not telling you earlier…I just didn't know if I could do this if I saw all of you again before I left…_

Kamatari bit his lip before unfolding his long frame from the chair and striding away to find Kenshin.

Kenshin tried calling Kaoru's mobile again, and once again it rang straight through to her voicemail.

_Hi you've reached Kaoru, leave a message after the beep – you know you want to…beeeeep_ he heard her chuckle at the end of the message and the extended beep before sighing and cutting off the call. He tapped the mobile on his forehead in frustration: where could she be?

"Kenshin." Kenshin twisted on his bed to find Kamatari leaning on the doorframe with a serious look on his face. "I got a message – you might want to read it." He remained silent as Kamatari handed over his phone.

The messages folder held several messages – most were from Kaoru, but one drew his attention immediately. It had been sent only a few minutes ago. He scanned it quickly and sighed. He wasn't angry with her. He wanted to feel the warmth of her body at night. He wanted to have the lingering scent of jasmine on his sheets. He just wanted to hold her in his arms.

"Did you reply?"

"I did. If I didn't she would have been suspicious. Not that she's really thinking about that right now."

"I imagine she knows exactly where she's going." Kenshin muttered, handing back Kamatari's phone. "Do you know where she's gone?" Kenshin watched his younger brother carefully.

"Well…she could have gone to a number of places." Kamatari prevaricated.

"Which could be…?"

"Well. Back to our apartment for one."

"I doubt that. Too obvious."

"Well it's a source of solace. Her comfort zone. Why wouldn't she go there?"

"It's too obvious. She knows there we'd look there first."

"I don't think she's going somewhere to not be found. I think she's going to a place which makes her feel…" Kamatari paused in thought "whole. A place which grounds her, gives her a sense of being or something."

Kenshin rubbed his lip in thought before stilling in thought. He recalled her little spiel about her past:

_Koushijirou Kamiya taught me all I know about Kendo. I also took over his Dojo and assumed his name and position as his daughter. He was the best father I could have asked for…_

"Tell everyone not to expect me for dinner. I'll be back…late." He threw the comment over his shoulder as he walked quickly out of his room, leaving behind a bewildered Kamatari.

He would find Kaoru. He would make sure she never doubted his resolve ever again.

* * *

The flight home was relatively quick. Then again she wasn't exactly in a different country. It was comforting to see the familiar buildings of Sydney city. Those ugly cube like art structures that had been installed upon entrance into the airport gave her a strange sense of security. She was on her turf and she felt a little better. Thank god she had left her car in the long term parking area. It wouldn't take her long to reach her destination. Then she'd have time to think.

* * *

He knew where she was going. It was the one place she wanted to go back to one day. He hadn't managed to wrangle a seat on the last flight going to Berry, so he had to drive instead. Fast.

He felt weirdly restless. Like he couldn't get to this place fast enough. Even though he sped out of habit, he was always cool, relaxed and prepared. At that very moment he felt none of those things. He was even frowning, which he only realised when he caught sight of his reflection in the rear view mirror.

Kaoru was inciting all these feelings within him: helplessness, loss of control, anxiety, nervousness – all of which he had either avoided or removed from his emotional glossary. Then again she had also given him back his humanity. Adoration, affection, comfort, ease of human companionship on an emotional and sexual level. She had given him everything.

Chris Martin's gentle crooning filled the emptiness of the car; that deep lilting accent made Kenshin feel more determined to find Kaoru.

_I took my love down to Violet Hill,_

_There we sat in the snow_

_And all that time she was silent still_

_So if you love me, won't you let me know,_

_If you love me, won't you let me know…_

* * *

Misao glanced restlessly over the top of her standard red label Sexy Mills & Boon romance. She could read one in a few hours if she really wanted – the story line was never anything too heavy. She just couldn't concentrate. Kenshin was gone, Kaoru had disappeared, Kamatari had also managed make some excuse…maybe she could misappropriate or something.

"They'll be back Mi chan." Misao froze and glanced over to Megumi who had reclined leisurely in her armchair with an arm flung lazily behind her head. "There's no way he'd be back without her."

Misao cleared her throat delicately "I'm not worried."

Megumi raised an eyebrow "And there I was thinking that you were actually able to read that sordid thing you call literature _upside down_."

Misao blew out a frustrated breath and hunched over her knees. She really thought she was doing a good job of masking her feelings, but apparently not.

"I don't understand why she left." Misao admitted glumly.

"There are certain things which we shall never know, and I'm guessing that this is one of those times."

Misao wasn't sure. Hadn't Kaoru felt like she belonged while she had been with them? Had they inadvertently made her feel like she wasn't a part of their little family?

"It wasn't us Misao."

"You don't think we could have done more?"

"No." came the firm in her response "I think Kenshin did a commendable job in helping Kaoru move past her more superficial fears. It's all up to Kaoru now." Megumi paused "I was surprised at how Kenshin treated her."

"I know. Even though he's always there to help us out, he always seemed so lonely. And with her he actually looked happy, despite the fact that she wasn't opening up to him."

"Don't you think it's unfair? That Kenshin told her about Yuki but she still refuses to tell Kenshin about herself?"

"Well Yuki was the catalyst for that. Kenshin may not have given her all the details at the beginning but it was only because she reappeared that he _had_ to tell Kaoru everything so early."

Misao already knew this. But she still wished Kaoru hadn't held back. It felt as if even though they had accepted her, she hadn't accepted them.

* * *

The front gate of the dojo hadn't changed at all except perhaps the degradation she had expected from the passing of time combined with the lack of care. She ran her hands down the peeling paint, the pangs of guilt stabbed at her heart because she knew she could have done more to look after her fathers legacy. Kaoru didn't notice the darkening sky, sounds of thunder nor the drops of rain as they fell hard upon her skin. The door swung open slowly at the pressure she placed on the wood with the flat of her left hand. Slowly she walked into the front courtyard where she had caught the first glimpse of Koushijirou Kamiya.

_Kaoru sat on top of the Dojo wall which had been skilfully covered by a large apple tree that grew over the side. It was a great place to sit and watch that Kendo teacher and his students as well as get half a meal. If the apples didn't make her so gassy she'd eat more._

"_How many more of my apples are you going to eat?" Kaoru froze at the deep voice. It was that Kendo teacher. How had he seen her? She began to move carefully towards the bough of the tree that led to the other side "I'm not saying you can't have them. Maybe you can help clean the hall? You can even learn Kendo if you like" And that was the last thing she heard as she nimbly landed on the ground and ran away as fast as she could._

Shaking herself free from the dredges of her past she walked further into the stoned yard until she was upon the exact spot she had so often seen her father stand to instruct his students. She crouched and wrapped her hands around her knees, if she did this long enough then maybe, just maybe she'd feel one small grain of his beautiful soul.

He was the first person in her life who had given her a taste of care, love and tenderness. Although she could count on one hand the number of times he had physically embraced her, it was everything else that made her feel like she could live. His words gave her the strength to feel alive.

"_No one should ever tell you that you're less than what you believe you are Kaoru. The moment you do, you're letting yourself down…"_

"_I won't. I promise."_

"_You are made for great things Kaoru."_

_His eyes displayed his belief in her, and she believed his words to the depth of her bones._

But had she really done so? Kenshin had shared a large part of his fears with her. But she had always believed that he wouldn't want to be burdened by her past. Did that mean that she had thought he deserved someone better? That she wasn't good enough for him? She was slowly becoming neurotic. A pathetic neurotic heap.

She suddenly felt cold and stared in wonder at her wet hand, glistening from the afternoon rain. They splashed randomly on her hand and the arctic breeze seeping through the open door made her shiver uncontrollably, her teeth chattering wildly as she slowly unfolded herself.

_Well the rain keeps on coming down_

_Feels like a flood in my head_

_And that road keeps on calling me_

_Screaming to everything lying ahead_

An inexplicably warm hand burned through her skin despite the icy rain. She barely registered the warmth of a jacket as it draped around her small frame.

Kenshin lifted Kaoru into his arms and carried her inside. The room was bare except for one futon which lay in the middle of the room, and Kenshin doubted it had been moved at all in a decade.

* * *

Kaoru awoke and felt warm. This was not how she remembered feeling before…before what? For some reason she could feel the soft cotton blankets against her bare skin and she checked only to find herself unclothed.

"You're awake." _Kenshin._

"Hey…" she trailed off watching him uncertainly sitting up while holding the blanket to her chest.

"I took your clothes off…you were soaked to the bone. I went down the street and found a little stand, so we have food." He sat down on the end of her futon and she watched him arrange everything before clasping his hands in front of him.

"I'm sorry." She whispered a tear slowly rolled down her cheek.

"For what love?" he asked quietly "Eat and then we'll talk." He said handing her a paper plate.

Kaoru didn't feel hungry before she placed one morsel of food in her mouth and suddenly her appetite surfaced. She ate everything quickly before gathering everything together.

"Your clothes aren't dry yet but I did manage to find this" he handed her a plastic bag with a large white bonds t-shirt and a pair of black shorts. Kaoru didn't complain and pulled the shirt over her head, not bothering with the shorts. She needed to talk to Kenshin first.

"How did you know I'd be here?" she asked softly.

"I'm not sure." He replied carefully, because truthfully he just _felt _like she'd be here, which wasn't logical at all. "I know you went to see Yuki." Kaoru stared down at the futon as he spoke. "I was there. I knew you'd come. But I don't know why you left." He left the statement hanging in the air.

"I didn't know that you knew."

"Kaoru, I've had a few realisations, but not one of them even entertained thoughts that suggested you wouldn't be a part of my life, or my family's. You showed me that I don't need to be alone, that I have others."

"You never said anything." She accused quietly.

"I thought you'd be there when I got back."

"You should have told me that you were going to see her." She responded with a little more strength.

"I just wanted to deal with it" he sighed "I don't care what she does now Kaoru. She can't hurt me anymore – I have my family to support me, and _I have you_." He emphasised the statement, placing his hand over hers. Kaoru bowed her head in thought and Kenshin could no longer stand her melancholic attitude. "Kaoru, you've depended on yourself for so long…all these years, constantly relying on your own strength. It must have been hard, but you had to do it in order to survive. But you can't go on like this forever. You taught me that. I was just much worse at hiding it."

"I'm not like you." She muttered.

"We're the same. We keep it together for the sake of others – draws attention away from our own insecurities - lends itself to enhancing the image of a well adjusted individual."

"Why do I feel like I've heard this before." She asked knowing she had said something similar to him when they had first met.

"You need to let me help you Kaoru. It won't work any other way." He stated firmly as if she hadn't spoken. "I've trusted you with my soul…why can't you trust me with yours?"

"I…I'm not…" she sighed, running a hand through her messy hair. Kenshin thought she looked even more adorable. "My life has been one big mess Kenshin."

"And my life has been a smooth ride? Admittedly I brought a lot of those problems upon myself, but it hasn't been the easy."

"Okay. Alright." She whispered she moved the blankets out of the way and despite her lack of clothing she curled up in his lap. His strong arms encircling her frame tightly, the comfort they gave her was more than she could have asked for.

_All these dreams took me so far_

_But it felt just as good in your arms…_

* * *

I know that I said in some review replies that I would be posting the final chapter but I didn't want to end the story on chapter 13…it seemed inauspicious…

I apologise in advance for the length of time it took for me to write this, I blame my lack of inspiration due to the absence of everything in my life at the moment. Who knew doing nothing all day could be so uninspiring?

Please comment - whether it be good or bad :-)

Cheers,

Iuvenalis.


	14. Chapter 14

I do not own Rurouni Kenshin :-s

**Strange Affliction**

**Chapter 14 – Long Way Home**

_Kaoru could almost feel the blows from her abusive past reigning upon her body as she related her childhood experiences to Kenshin. _

"_I was powerless to stop the actions of ward officers. Only when I could see a viable option did I act." _

"_Your father" Kenshin confirmed and Kaoru nodded in response._

"_Our ward officers didn't care much for our well being at all. They received money for keeping us and the less they gave us the more they had for themselves."_

"_As a department of the state they couldn't have taken much. Someone would have picked up on it sooner or later."_

_Kaoru shook her head tiredly "No. They were a private agency independent of the moral obligations expected by the government. They obviously bribed certain officials in order to get away with what they were doing, and it worked for a while. They only caught on when children started disappearing. And even then 6 children were dead before the government started investigating."_

"_Were they ever found?"_

"_Yes later. Once the house had closed down. I was lucky I guess. All they did was abuse me, they didn't kill me."_

"_That doesn't make you luckier Kaoru."_

"_Doesn't it? I bear my scars with a certain understanding and I often wonder if I had actually done something earlier whether I could have saved at least one of them."_

"_You were a child – how were you to know what was happening to the other children?"_

"_Because it was happening to me." She whispered. "There was one ward officer who loved to torture us. It was a form of pleasure for him" she bowed her head almost as if she was in shame. "He was the one who gave me these…" she turned around and pulled up the back of her shirt, displaying the scarring. "Sometimes he would beat me so badly I wouldn't wake up for a few days, though I didn't realise until later how bad it really was. I can't do anything strenuous anymore…I thought my scars and pains were superficial but my physician, Dr Gensai has advised me against doing anything too active." She paused for moment watching him as the words sank in "I think Kamatari knows."_

"_How?"_

"_One day I was so weakened by work and stress, I collapsed. He took me to the hospital where my doctor was called. No doubt Dr Gensai would have told him about my past and why I had collapsed. He's such a wonderful friend, he never mentioned it. He just protected me and made sure I was always in good health."_

_Looking for a single thread  
Of melody to help me get by  
Where we're passing the time  
Is it real?  
Does it give too much away?  
It's pouring out my heart  
Till you come back  
A reason to stay_

_Do you know?  
Is this way home?  
Is this way?_

Kenshin watched her sleeping form before returning his attention to the road. For the sake of comfort she had opted to wear the same shirt and shorts he had bought for her the previous day. He decided to take her back to his penthouse in Sydney instead of going straight home to Berry where everyone would be waiting for them. He didn't think she could really handle having so much attention right now – perhaps tomorrow they would return. Though he had told Kaoru he would be happy to wait for her to open her heart, he was only human, and finally he felt as if they were on even grounds in their relationship. Her pain would never be forgotten, but perhaps he could alleviate her insecurities enough that she'd be happy with him. He wanted her to never doubt his feelings ever again, or that he would give in, and let her suffer on her own. That would never happen, he would never let it.

* * *

Kamatari paid little attention to the task at hand which involved giving Tomoe his opinion about photographs for the wedding. He'd first taken shots that he thought would have been good places for wedding photos. The second step had been to take photos of Tomoe and Akira in the chosen spots to get the right distance from lens, lighting and angle. He'd already seen them a dozen times.

"Kamatari, you're not paying attention" Sighed Tomoe placing the photographs on the light table.

"Yes I am." He denied "Besides you know that I'll take great pictures."

"You're still worried about Kenshin aren't you" Tomoe stated softly.

"I'm not worried about Kaoru!" he responded quickly before realising his mistake.

Tomoe smiled "It's okay to be worried. She's your best friend."

"They haven't come back yet. She won't pick up her phone. The dress still needs adjustments. Things need to be done." Kamatari said quickly.

"You're not worried about things that need to be done. They'll both be back soon enough - Kenshin won't let anything happen to her. Now about this new friend you've made, what's been happening in that part of your life?" Tomoe changed the subject slyly.

Kamatari turned to the photos and shuffled them unnecessarily "I have no idea to whom you are referring."

"Shishio" Tomoe replied.

"Who?"

"Oh Kam, you'll never change" she chuckled. "Shishio is a good man."

"I'll take your word for it." he muttered shoving everything into his photo holding bag.

Tomoe watched from her seat as he rushed from the room in very uncharacteristic behaviour. Kamatari was always laid back with a hint of sarcasm when it came to dealing with difficult situations. At the moment, and understandably so, he was a little out of sorts with Kaoru and Kenshin in absentia. And he was probably having issues with his feelings for Shishio as well. Despite the turmoil, Tomoe felt happy within herself. Kenshin had finally found someone who complemented his personality, and she had Akira. He was the most kind, sweet and patient man she had ever met. His caring, gentle and compassionate nature was obvious to anyone who met him and entirely different to Kenshins. With him she felt loved and just thinking about him made her feel lucky. When she had been with Kenshin she had felt the need to overcompensate, almost as if everything she did wasn't enough to please him which was odd considering he never asked much of her. That in itself was an oxymoron since his asking little of her was too high price to pay since she had wanted more. She looked forward to seeing Kaoru when she returned for the wedding; she hoped that she would be able to enjoy the festivities as a part of the family. It felt as if the Himura family was finally complete.

Sliding down from the high stool in Kaoru's makeshift dressmaking room, Tomoe walked off to find Akira before her meeting with Shishio. She had only left him one hour ago, but she missed him already.

* * *

Kamatari continued into the conservatory to look at some of the gardener's prized flora. Leaning down just below table level with the exotic looking orchid, and found the right angle before snapping a shot.

He froze as he heard the soft fall of footsteps "Kamatari?" he turned to find Shishio dressed in a dark grey suit, and white shirt. When Kamatari said nothing, Shishio continued "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you – I'm here to meet Tomoe…" he trailed off awkwardly.

"Shishio. Your presence would never be considered an interruption but rather a pleasant surprise." He smiled before cursing Tomoe for not telling him about the winemakers intended visit. He was going to take bad photos of her…after the wedding.

Shishio's stance softened, his body relaxing at Kamatari's disarming charm. He would figure out what exactly it was about Kamatari that gave him such an ethereal quality, particularly when he had that distracted look on his face. Or when he was drifting off into space, or when he was angry, or when he was…okay he looked fantastic _all_ the time. Shishio sighed inwardly at his clammy his hands and quickening heartbeat wondering how it was that one engaged in beginning let alone continuing a relationship with someone who made them entirely too nervous. If he continued in this manner he'd have a coronary sooner rather than later.

"Yeah, I uh, have a meeting with Tomoe" Shishio grimaced as soon as he said it, realising that he'd already said those very words only a few moments ago. "She wanted to discuss a few things with me about the wedding and such. Is that why you're here?" he inquired politely after recovering solidly from his spell of stupidity.

"Not quite." Kamatari muttered, not meeting Shishio's eye as he spoke "I'm just taking a break…these are our gardeners flowers. Our adoptive mother loved orchids – they both shared a passion for flowers of beauty. He continues to tend to her conservatory even after her passing." His voice was soft with wonder as he stroked the soft petals of the hothouse orchid.

"You're all very close to one another." It was more of an observation than a question.

Kamatari did not hesitate in answering "Yes we are. I don't know if you know what it's like to have no idea of where you come from – when I was young it was a constant thought that left me feeling lost. With a family such as ours I haven't thought about it in years – we are each others saviours and we honour the bonds we hold with one another. Within this family, I feel _cherished_." He drew in the scent of the yellow rose his mother had loved so much, recalling how her hair would fall over her cheek whenever she inhaled a flowers scent. That earthy aroma which followed her presence was unforgettable. To be pulled away from them, after only a brief interlude in their lives was anguish and he had felt robbed. Then Kenshin had taken up the mantle, and quite commendably, but they had all felt the dull ache of loss once again.

After so long, he finally felt as if their lives were taking a turn for the best. Before it felt as if their fates were stagnant and immobile, but now Kenshin had found Kaoru, Misao and Aoshi were getting their act together (yes he'd noticed), Tomoe was getting married and finally he was feeling more secure in admitting his attraction to Shishio.

"My family was never that close." Shishio admitted "My wife and I were happy, but I think she always knew…" he trailed off, looking away sadly.

Kamatari paused in his movement "What do you mean?" he asked a little quickly.

"Not close like your family I guess." He scratched his head in thought "Yumi had very simple needs…her father was in financial trouble and there were rumours – we made an agreement, and I got married." He shrugged.

"Who cares if there are rumours about financial troubles – it couldn't have been that damaging."

"Ah! There's Tomoe, I should go," Shishio raised a hand in greeting turning away "The rumours weren't about her family – they were about me" He said cryptically.

Kamatari watched him leave. Now he was _really_ confused.

* * *

Shishio could feel Kamatari's eyes burning into his back as he left the conservatory to meet Tomoe outside. Although his choice in life partner had altered considerably since Yumi's death, the slow societal acceptance of changes such as these had helped him make his decision. Although he had never actually indulged in a relationship with another male since her death (or ever for that matter) he would consider it now, because of Kamatari. He had wanted a stable environment for their son, but now he was an adolescent who understood the way of the world, so maybe it was time to invest a little in himself.

"You're mind is preoccupied." Tomoe commented softly linking her arm with his as they strolled down the edge of the riverbank. What was wrong with everyone today? _Everybody_ seemed preoccupied.

"A little." He admitted "Soujirou returns for his university holidays tomorrow." That had been his real worry.

"I don't see a problem." Tomoe responded.

"He doesn't know about…me" Even now it sounded really lame.

"_He doesn't know about you_…" Tomoe repeated in a funny voice, not to be humorous but in a tone edged with disbelief. "What? That you're his father? That you have cared for him? Raised him to be a well rounded individual with an open mind? Would you care to elaborate?"

Shishio was slightly put off by her sudden offensive manner which was entirely unlike her "I'm not sure. While I raised him I never indulged in any relationships. Of any kind."

"He'll understand Shish. He's not a child anymore. And you know, when I last met him, I was pleasantly surprised at how mature he was. He'll understand – he will."

"We'll see."

"By the way - who's the lucky one?"

"Nobody you know," he smiled looking away.

* * *

"You're so cute!" she ribbed him in the side before changing the topic swiftly to her wedding. Yeah she knew brides could be really annoying talking about their wedding's all the time but she didn't care. Besides it was only a week away, everyone was getting together, and she was getting excited.

"Glitter sashii – check! Penii crowns – check!" Misao chirped excitedly.

"Okay good- wait what? _Penii crowns_?" Megumi hissed dangerously.

"Yessum." Misao nodded enthusiastically while Megumi scrambled towards the box, lifting out the offending item.

Megumi shuddered with distaste "It's disgusting. _You_ will be wearing this." She waved it in Misao's face before realising that Misao had used a plural 'penii'. She dug into the box only to find 3 more matching crowns with mini penii wobbling rudely of the front of the crown in between feather puffs. "Oh this is disgusting." Holding onto one, she dropped the rest back in the box with a grimace marring her lovely face. She really should have known better before letting Misao off the leash. Then again there was some redemption involved, the more prudish attendees of the hen's night could wear the gaudy glittering sash's which had the words "Undercover Bride To Be" and "Undercover Bridesmaids To Be" scrawled in purple glittery writing across them. Or they could just wear those glitter bras Misao had also purchased. At least they weren't glitter g-strings.

"This doesn't seem like Tomoe's thing at all Misao. Didn't you understand what I said when I told you 'tasteful'? I said TASTEFUL you undersized midget woman!" she hissed shaking the crown in anger, the penis wobbling dangerously with excess movement. With a final shake of pure disgust the crown, it seemed, could no longer handle the sudden movements and sprung free of the feather puffs hitting Megumi in the face at the end of her rant.

Misao brought the clipboard up to her face covering her mouth and nose in an unsuccessful attempt to hide her amusement. Megumi's face took on a whole new look, she was incensed but entirely embarrassed. Calmly placing the crown in the box, she turned and walked away; as the door swung closed behind her Misao let out a loud raucous laugh. Megumi stood behind her the door fuming with humiliation at Misao's lack of propriety. _Damn weasel._

* * *

Kaoru shifted and blinked at the sight of a flat clear wall. For some reason she was no longer in the car, but resting comfortably in a king sized bed in someone apartment. Smelling a hint of pasta she slid from the bed and made her way to bathroom. The lighting was incredibly revealing, but she had to admit that she certainly looked a little healthier. The rings under her eyes had lessened and some colour had returned to her face. The mirror showed a pale faced, framed by dark hair, incredibly large sapphire eyes and rosy cheeks. She had to admit that she also felt a lot better.

After washing her face, she slowly made her way to wherever the enticing smells were coming from. Peeking around the corner she spied Kenshin standing in front of the stove wearing a dark blue apron. She stood on her tip toes and popped her head on his shoulder.

"Afternoon sweeting." He murmured.

"That nickname again?"

"Mmm remember I promised to use it in private only? And who else is there here, but you and me?" he asked lightly encircling her waist with his right arm. Kaoru sensed buoyancy to his tone, as if he had come to terms with something, and was now in a place of contentment.

"You're happy." She observed softly.

Kenshin didn't bother denying it, "Yes. I have you." His forehead rested gently against hers.

"And I have you" she whispered back kissing him lightly on the lips.

Kenshin smiled and held her tightly against his body, his nose buried deep in her hair, inhaling its scent as if he needed it to survive. They had suddenly entered a realm where only they existed, the depth of which Kaoru was only to happy to discover. The slow release was accompanied by, the relaxation of Kenshins muscles as he let her go.

"I made some pasta – with mushrooms in traditional tomato paste." He gestured towards a pot full of pasta. Kaoru's tummy inadvertently rumbled and she laughed in embarrassment at the loud groaning sounds it made.

"I guess that means it's time to eat!" he grinned setting down the pot on the table.

"So this is your place in the city?" Kaoru asked looking around with interest. It was a very swish pad; then again this was Kenshin they were talking about. She looked back to the front door and gaped for a moment or two before collecting herself. "The elevator opens up to your actual apartment? Geez."

"Well, it makes things easy." He grinned and Kaoru stuck her tongue out at him.

The entire place screamed class with a distinct minimalist theme. The view from the kitchen and lounge room swept the Sydney harbour for 180 degrees. High ceilings, a few feature walls without being gaudy, fancy bathrooms which were still practical – oh yeah she could see herself using this place.

"Do you like the place?" he asked in a nonchalant manner, but Kaoru detected a nervous undertone to the question.

"It's lovely Kenshin." She paused, thinking about how to frame the next questions she wanted to ask. "So um, as your girlfriend I'll get to stay over whenever you're here…right?

Kenshin pursed his lips in thought "Well" he drew out the word as he pretended to deliberate her question. "I guess." He shrugged.

Kaoru slapped his shoulder in annoyance "Stop playing." Grumbling with annoyance she heaped more pasta onto her plate, shovelling it into her mouth without grace. "I'm fungy." She defended, which Kenshin translated into 'I'm hungry'. Chuckling he leaned back in his chair and watched his girlfriend eat with zeal. She was one of a kind.

* * *

Kaoru watched Kenshin eat yet another chocolate truffle gelato. No matter how much he ate, he never gained weight. The last few days they had spent together had been leisurely, happy and relaxing. The nights had been slowly getting steamier. Kaoru had always imagined that sex between couples started out hot and eventually morphed into lovemaking. But with Kenshin she had been very wrong. So very wrong. Sometimes it would be slow, with deliberate precise strokes of skin against skin. Other times it was like a maelstrom of emotions coming together in a single burst honey. Then there were the times he would act the gentle lover, before becoming demanding and dominant. She loved it when he swung between the two; it was almost as if he thought he'd gotten what he wanted from the first time, then he wanted more and it drove him insane how much he wanted.

"What is that – the truffle one?" she asked in exasperation.

"Nope." He paused to lick his spoon again "Belgian chocolate."

"Mmm." Kaoru continued to suck the remaining Nutella flavoured gelato of her spoon before noticing Kenshin. He had stopped eating and was watching.

"We better go somewhere, otherwise we won't be going anywhere." He warned her huskily.

Kaoru bit her lip and watched him through half closed eyes moaning as she licked the chocolate again; her tongue flicking out in little movements. Kenshin moved awkwardly toward her, his intentions clear in his eyes, Kaoru giggled and moved further away. Finally unable to hold out, she laughed at the annoyance on his face and started running back to his apartment. She ducked and weaved through the people, occasionally checking to see if Kenshin was following. As she hit the floor number button on the elevator she sighed and grinned as the doors slowly slid together. She leaned back on the rail for support before a hand shot through and stopped the doors from fully closing. The doors slid open to reveal a golden eyed Kenshin in distinct state of deshabille.

"Kaoru sweeting – you've been naughty." He growled, prowling through the doors blocking her path. The doors slid closed and he hit the floor button savagely. Turning suddenly he caught Kaoru's mouth with his own, smothering her gasp and, moulding her body to his own. He lifted her with ease and pinned her body against the elevator wall; her legs wrapped around his waist holding him tightly to her. Their hips rubbed together with impatience, his mouth slid down her throat, his teeth grazing her neck. Her skin was sensitive to his ministrations, particularly when his hand ventured down her stomach. She froze as his finger rubbed against her, before moaning and dragging his head back for another deep kiss.

This was how it would always be between them she thought dizzily, _always_.

* * *

Kenshin wasn't one to complain, but Kaoru was really using up all of his energy. It was almost as if she knew what part to play when they made love, and it drove him insane. She'd be the innocent lover – hesitant and aroused, the vixen – drawing out the slow seduction until neither of them could take it anymore and sometimes she wouldn't wait – simply taking everything he had to give.

It was incredible how much he could find in one person, sometimes the universe and at other times a small pearl of fortune. He memorised every scar and freckle on her body, tracing a long whitened scar along her forearm which lay on his shoulder. She was perfect, and she was his. In the middle of his joyful inward proclamations, Kenshin realised that Tomoe's wedding was in 4 days time. It was time to get back to reality – and for the first time in his life, he was looking forward to it.

* * *

Megumi went over the hen's night itinerary once more before looking out the window for the fiftieth time.

"Ah hah!" she heard Misao yell at her from somewhere.

"What?" she asked in annoyance trying to spot the source of Misao's voice.

"You're worried as well." She stated matter of fact, before popping up from behind the couch.

"How long have you been there?" she asked in irritation.

"Long enough to see you look out that window and down the driveway about a hundred times." She told Megumi smugly.

"Oh big deal. Look Kaoru's supposed to be at this hens night and if she's not it'll screw up the numbers." She huffed.

"Screw up the numbers?" Misao repeated before laughing raucously and stopping as she heard a car engine that sounded just like Kenshins coming toward the house. Jumping up she pushed Megumi out of the way and stared down the drive to where she spied his car coming toward the house with speed. No one else drove so recklessly (except her of course) – it was definitely Kenshin! On her knees from Misao's hasty shove, Megumi looked over the windowsill and breathed a sigh of relief. They were finally back.

* * *

Kamatari wound a slim black tie around his neck. The buck's night was tomorrow – the same time as the hen's night. He had a fair idea of what was going to happen, and although he liked all the guys who were going to be there, he really wanted to go to the hen's night. In fact Tomoe had invited him.

He was still thinking about what Shishio had said; intrigued to such an extent that he hadn't stopped repeating those words in his head.

…_the rumours weren't about her family – they were about me…_

Okay so he wasn't that stupid. Shishio had admitted that he thought that Kamatari hadn't liked him. He remembered the hand fleetingly touching his own, with purpose.

Leaving the tie done up loosely around his neck Kamatari strolled leisurely down the stairs, sliding on his sunglasses as he made his way outside. So he was a little overdressed for the occasion, but in his opinion he looked just as hot so it really didn't matter.

He glanced up as car he recognised as Kenshins came racing down the driveway in typical Kenshin style. The man had no speed perception at all. Squealing to halt metres from where he stood, he watched Kaoru exit the car hastily slamming the door shut. She ran and hugged him with an exuberance he hadn't seen in a while. She glowed with a renewed quality he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"I missed you Kao." He said stoutly.

She grinned "Eh, I needed a few days in heaven to get me back on track." She shoved his shoulder playfully while noticing his considerably formal attire and wisely decided against questioning him. Kamatari looked over at his brother and waved before getting into his car.

Rolling down the window he grasped Kaoru's hand and kissed it, "It's good to have you back." He said before reversing in wide arc and speeding off down the driveway in a spray of gravel.

"Where's Kam going?" Kenshin asked after finally finishing taking their luggage inside.

"Oh I dunnow."

"You know don't you." He observed her sly smile.

"I might." She grinned and turned as Misao came careening down the stairs to hug Kenshin enthusiastically. She didn't show Kaoru the same enthusiasm and held back waving awkwardly.

"Mi chan" said Kaoru softly "I'm sorry." Her arms opened wide as the smaller girl hurled herself into Kaoru's arms.

"I was totally going to forgive you" Sniffled Misao.

Kaoru chuckled "It's good to be back. I almost can't even remember why I left."

To this Misao squeezed her tightly in a mini bear hug.

"We're glad to have you back." She whispered in Kaoru's ear.

_I had a dream I,_

_Stood beneath an orange sky,_

_With my sister standing by,_

_With my sister standing by,_

_I said Sister here is what I know now,_

_Here is what I know now,_

_Goes like this,_

_In your love, my salvation lies,_

_In your love, my salvation lies,_

_In your love, my salvation lies,_

_In your love, in your love, in your love._

_Home is where the heart is_, thought Kaoru as warm rays of the afternoon sun fell on her face. _I've finally come home._

* * *

Tell me what you think :-) The good, the bad and even the ugly ;-)

cheers,

Iuvenalis.


	15. Chapter 15

**Strange Affliction**

**Chapter 15 – You & Me**

It was strange for Kamatari to be feeling this way. Normally he had to fight off the romantic prospects – of both sexes, but this time he seemed to be vying for someone's attention instead of the opposite. How odd that of all the places in the world, it would be here that he make the first move, for the first time. Parking his zippy sports car randomly on the grassy lawn he slipped out from the low slung vehicle with ease.

From inside his wine tasting bar, Shishio watched in confusion as Kamatari strode gracefully down the path towards him. He had already seen Kamatari earlier that day, so what could have possibly drawn the enigmatic man to seek him out? Shishio wasn't sure if he could handle having another conversation with him. The man had a way of making him feel entirely inadequate, and he'd filled his quota of Kamatari this morning. He settled down on his stool and picked up the book he was reading affecting an air of nonchalance at the new and unexpected arrival. Kamatari had changed into more formal wear for reasons unknown. His fringe flopped artfully over his eyes that twinkled with mischief. The suit enhanced his lithe figure, his shirt twisting over his impossibly flat belly as he walked through the door.

He watched from the corner of his eye as Kamatari pulled his sunglasses off and slid them onto his head, pulling back the longer fringes of hair.

"Shishio – sorry to interrupt your leisurely afternoon." Though he didn't sound all that sorry.

He propped his elbow on the bar and waited as Kamatari settled himself on a stool.

"Just a bit of light reading – nothing fancy." He responded in what he thought was a very blasé tone and congratulated himself "We saw each other this morning…" he trailed off and waited for Kamatari fill in the rest.

"Yes well, I forgot to give you your invitation to the all important, highly unmissable bucks night." Kamatari's hand dipped into his suit pocket to extract a black with black ribboned invitation.

Undoing the ribbon Shishio ran through the particulars: a buck's night for Akira, to be held at the horse loft on the property, starting at 7pm ending who knew when.

"Highly unmissable you say? Well then, one as humble as I could never say no to such an invitation. I accept with great delight." He smiled, carefully hiding his jubilation at spending an evening in Kamatari's company.

"I also wanted to know if perhaps you could give me a tour of your winery after the wedding." Kamatari pouted hopefully at Shishio.

"Uhm, so long as you have no commitments regarding Tomoe's wedding, then I would be honoured." _I would be honoured?_ he winced inwardly as he ran the words through his mind immediately after he'd said them. He was acting like a prize lackey. "My son comes home from university tomorrow." He added unnecessarily.

"Bring him along." Kamatari said before he could help himself. "The more the merrier," he paused before grinning "Unless you don't wish to expose him to our corrupting influence. Either way, it doesn't matter." Kamatari shrugged, and it really didn't as long as Shishio was there.

* * *

Kaoru noticed Kamatari's high spirits the moment he walked through the dining room door. He exuded an air of accomplishment.

"Our Kam is looking rather _satisfied." _she whispered confidentially to Tomoe.

"I think it has a lot to do with our winemaking neighbour." Tomoe whispered before continuing "Shishio did say that he was interested in someone."

"Hmmm…" Kaoru murmured wondering why he hadn't said much to her about his interest in the other man. Then again she had kinda left him on a whim and hadn't given him much detail of what had happened either so she guessed he didn't owe her an explanation. But that didn't mean she couldn't ask him, she thought snickering quietly.

"Totally." Came Misao's whispered response, prompting Tomoe and Kaoru to look at her. "What?" she asked defensively "I am equally capable of hassling him for information – and then one day I WILL RULE THE WORLD MWAHAHAHA." Misao stopped abruptly after realising that she had said the last part quite loudly which had resulted in everyone throwing her weary glances. "Just quietly - I can be very persistent." She finished before humming to herself and moving towards the drinks table.

"She's very…very" Tomoe finished lamely.

"Where have I heard that before." _Déjà vu, _Kaoru chuckled at the description. Oh she was definitely going to find out more about this, _definitely_.

Kenshin watched Kaoru as her gaze narrowed unerringly on Kamatari who was unaware of her intense scrutiny. She was up to something, which probably had something to do with Kamatari's supposed interest in this winemaker who was hosting Tomoe's wedding. To Kenshin, Kamatari's interest was rather unapparent. It all seemed to be a fictional plot created by Kaoru or something to that effect. He had even offered to involve Shishio in their business so that his little brother could gain more face time with his supposed love interest. But no, this had been turned down. All this love politics was confusing, slightly less confusing than his Kaoru, but still more confusing than he cared to admit.

* * *

Misao sat in the sunroom, the moon shining silver feathers over her plate for light. The day passed had been uneventful, littered by running errands and tying up loose ends for Tomoe's wedding. Her mind now had the time to contemplate those thoughts she hadn't had the time to think about during the day. She felt odd now that Kenshin and Kaoru had returned together. Kamatari was moving forward, Tomoe was getting married, and even Yahiko had Tsubame. What did she have? Well, not much in the way of love.

_You mixed me up for someone_

_Who'd fall apart without you_

_Yeah you, broke my heart_

_For the first time_

_But I'll get over that too…_

Aoshi had been a little more flexible with his time and sometimes he even made conversation with her. Yesterday for instance, he had told her the daffodils she was picking were very yellow. And they were. In the past small comments like this made her heart soar, but lately they had served to make her feel even more hopeless. He just didn't see her that way.

_It's hard to find the reasons,_

_Who can see the right?_

_I guess we were seasons out of time_

_I guess you didn't know me…_

She had practically beaten him over the head with a baton inscribed with her feelings. It was beginning to become more of a challenge and she was feeling tired - which was bad. She knew her own enthusiasm and optimistic nature, yet it was failing her at an alarming rate.

_The story goes on without you_

_There's got to be another ending_

_Yeah you, broke my heart_

_Won't be the last that I'll get over them too_

_If you search our soul you'll find,_

_You never really knew me…_

No he really didn't. Things had to change. She had tried being more appealing to him. She had changed aspects of her personality in many ways but to no avail. The more she tried to reveal about herself the less he saw. It was time to look outside the box, and for some reason she felt slightly better for it.

Aoshi watched Misao from the doorway in silence. Lately she had been quiet, which always meant something was wrong. How did one such as himself broach the subject? He hadn't always felt the need to know her worries, but her endless persistence had dented his solid armour. She always managed shake him, unlike anyone else he knew.

Misao sipped her apple juice quietly, noticing Aoshi's reflection in the window.

"What do you want?" she asked quietly. Aoshi's step faltered as he walked forward, her simple and direct question throwing him. Her tone was clipped and concise. He had never felt nervous in her presence; he had always maintained an adult containing an unruly child attitude with her. With four words she had set him back on his heels.

Not gaining a response to her question, Misao finished her drink and stood up intending to walk back to the kitchen for dessert.

_Did you think that every time, _

_I see you I would cry?_

_No, not me not I…_

"Is something wrong?" he asked quietly when she stood just in front of him on her way out. Misao didn't even bother responding; instead she threw him a stony look he always gave her when she asked him that same question. He remained standing there listening to her footfalls echoing down the hall as she moved further away from him. For the first time in years he felt his heart beat painfully. He was losing her, and he didn't know what to do.

_I love you much_

_It's not enough_

_And life is like a pie_

_And I'm a tiny pygmy running up the walls inside_

_And I go back to black…_

_

* * *

_

Shishio waited outside on the porch for the tiny red car as it drove up the long drive leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. His son was finally coming home after so long and despite everything he had missed him a lot. Parking just short of the garden, he watched his son hop out of the car and run up the stairs, stopping as he sighted his father.

"Dad." He grinned before Shishio hugged him enthusiastically.

"The trip was okay?"

"Yeah of course! I was just looking forward to spending time here. I mean the city has lots of stuff but you know what they say…" he paused dramatically.

"You can take the boy out of the country but you can't take the country out of the boy." They laughed together.

"Listen, you know the Himura family from down the road?" Shishio asked.

"The one associated with Tomoe and Akira who are getting married here?"

Shishio nodded "They kindly invited us to their Bucks night – it's your choice of course."

"Why would _you_ want to go to the buck's night? There'll only be girls." Soujirou asked with a hint of confusion.

Shishio stilled at his sons words "What do you mean by that?" he asked slowly.

Soujirou shrugged already having lost interest in the conversation in favour of looking at a message he had received on his mobile phone. Shishios heart had seized movement in his chest only to start beating slowly again when Soujirou showed no real vigour to pursue the topic, though he knew it would come up again sooner rather or later.

* * *

_It's your god forsaken right to be loved, loved loved loved_

_So I won't hesitate no more, no more,_

_It cannot wait_

_I'm sure_

_There's no need to complicate_

_Our time is short_

_This is our fate I'm yours…_

Kaoru hummed to Jason Mraz's song as she twirled a lock of hair in between her fingers. Tonight would be fun. Kamatari had invited Shishio to the buck's night yesterday – that much she had managed to glean from conversation but it was enough for her. Misao was looking really subdued, even her choice of clothing had been quite drab. Black. She had chosen to wear black. She never chose black. With more prompting and encouragement from Tomoe, Tsubame and herself, she had ended up wearing a delicate green silk chiffon creation that clung to her figure in all the right places.

Kaoru whistled "Wow ms thang you are looking fiiiiiine" she cat called "Pity Aoshi won't see you." She added thoughtfully.

"I don't care if he sees me or not" Misao responded fiercely gripping the powder brush in her hand tightly. A little too tightly as Kaoru watched her knuckles whiten. Misao released a pent up sigh and plonked down on the ottoman. "He's just not interested, and I'm not being defeatist, I'm just accepting his choice. And I've made a new one of my own." She sniffed delicately "I'm looking outside the box."

"Okay then." Kaoru nodded dutifully knowing it was easier said than done.

"We'll be waiting for you downstairs" Kaoru threw over her shoulder before wobbling out the door on her ridiculously high heels. "Tomoe!" she hissed as she minced slowly down the stairs.

Tomoe hurried to the bottom of the stairs with Megumi in tow at Kaoru's uncharacteristic tone.

"You won't believe what Misao just said to me – she said she's giving up on the ice man."

"She must be a little low on spirits tonight that's all." Tomoe insisted.

"She's never low on spirits." Kaoru pointed out.

"Maybe this will be good for her." Tomoe murmured glancing uncertainly at Megumi.

"Ice man is way too much of a non-active for Misao." Megumi shrugged.

"Well I thought their personalities balanced each other out quite nicely." Tomoe sighed. "Lets just watch her closely for tonight, and we'll see how it pans out."

* * *

Kenshin was a little more than relieved. Akira's best man Cho, had arrived in time to let them all know what the festivities were going to be. Akira had specified that strippers just weren't his thing, so he guessed it would be an evening sans female nakedness, which was okay with him.

The hall was littered with different types of casino games. It was, Cho had informed them, in honour of Akira's early university days when he had been a bit too much of a card shark earning himself a reputation. Shishio it turned out was a little but green at gambling but Kamatari helped him out in that area. They were as thick as thieves and managed to take $1200 of Kenshins hard earned money. So he had much more than that but it was a matter of pride, and normally he would work to get it back but tonight he was a little too inebriated to attempt anything. He suspected that this was part of the reason why he had lost so much as well. He didn't realise how much he had consumed until he tried to get up only to slide back down to the chair in a dizzy heap.

They sat and gambled, drank and joked all night until early in the morning.

Sano easily held the diminutive man under one arm as he strode confidently up to the house. Poor little guy mustn't have drunk much on a regular basis, in the past because he'd gone under with remarkably little alcohol he thought. That Shishio guy had brought his son along, only he disappeared half way through the evening. He paused at the door when he heard giggles from inside with loud rude remarks being made by his own girlfriend. He'd never heard her being so vulgar before…and it was really hot!

Pushing open the front door he stopped just inside the ballroom entrance at the sight of Kaoru, Misao, Megumi, Tomoe and Tsubame dancing with abandon. There was various alcohol littered over the table – and he noted that there was very little left. He slowly withdrew from the room and trudged to Kenshins room to drop the little guy off before going to sleep himself. He liked partying a lot but tonight he'd had do be the designated one, and that just hadn't been fun at all.

Aoshi slipped into the house after Sano, and followed the music to the ballroom. His heart slowed instantly at the sight of Misao in the arms of another man who looked oddly familiar. The man had been at Akira's buck's night, only to disappear an hour later. What was he doing here? And more importantly what was Misao doing in his arms? They swayed seductively together and Aoshi watched as the younger mans hands moved downwards. Letting the door slide from his hand, he waited until his mind was calm before slowly walking back to his room. He needed time to think.

* * *

Kenshins head was hurting. Correction, it was pounding. Loud pulsating drums were sounding inside his head causing him to wince in pain.

"Morning my love!" Kaoru yelled in his ear making Kenshin flinch away from her.

"Noooooo" he groaned burrowing further into his pillows with earnest.

"None of that Mr Big Shot CEO – you have many duties to fulfil!" Kaoru chortled slapping him on the butt with enthusiasm. Sitting on his back she leaned forward and whispered in his ear "Someone can't hold their liquor very well." She stroked his hair and kissed the top of his head. "I've got some Hydrodol and Berocca for your consumption. See you downstairs in an hour." Kenshin felt the bed bounce and the door slam shut as she left the room with a little too much enthusiasm.

He tried to remember last night as the hot water beat down on his tired shoulders. He'd lost some money, seen Kamatari getting cosy with Shishio and then…and then he couldn't remember. _Excellent._

After finally making it downstairs he spotted Misao talking animatedly to the same young man who had arrived with Shishio to the Bucks night…_Soujirou, Shishio's son_? Though he'd keep his mouth shut until he was sure.

"Himura." Aoshi greeted him quietly handing him a cup of much needed black coffee, which Kenshin accepted gratefully.

Unsure of how to broach the subject Kenshin dithered "Wasn't that guy…" he trailed off awkwardly.

"Yes. I believe he's Shishio's son." Aoshi inserted curtly.

"I didn't realise that they knew each other." He murmured. When Aoshi said nothing Kenshin shifted uncomfortably as waves of dislike emanated from the normally stoic man.

"They don't. He doesn't." Muttered Aoshi his gaze never wavering from the happy duo. This couldn't be happening. How had this _boy_ managed to insinuate himself into Misao life, he thought disdainfully. His heart clenched painfully at the pleasure in her clear green eyes. Her soft smile. That smile she always reserved for him was being directed at someone else.

He couldn't look any longer.

* * *

Kaoru wrinkled her eyebrows questioningly at Kenshin as he edged away from Aoshi and made his way towards her. Kenshin looked as if he was just on the edge of consciousness, his pale face gaining some colour with each sip of coffee.

"I know you don't feel like eating but you should have something, while you tell me what's bothering Aoshi." She plied him smoothly.

"I'm sure you already know." He responded dryly.

"You give me too much credit." She beamed at him.

Shaking his head with disgust he muttered darkly "It's just not right for anyone to be this perky in the morning…Even I'm not normally that perky."

"Aoshi is upset about the appearance of a younger more unreserved individual than himself in his love interests' life. Correct?" she murmured while watching Misao and Soujirou.

Kenshin sighed "I didn't even know that he had feelings for her. Though I did know that she had feelings for him." the fork dangled loosely between his fingers "I didn't know he even thought about her that way." He repeated stupidly.

Kaoru eyed him "What did I tell you about taking more notice of people's behaviour?" Kenshin opened his mouth to respond but before he could Kaoru added more to her assertion "Without being suspicious of their motives and ultimately calling the basic fundamentals of your relationship with them into question."

Kenshin decided not to comment on his girlfriend's uncanny knack of pinpointing his weak characteristics "Are you going to tell Misao how Aoshi feels?"

"Nope. That's his job." Kaoru responded dryly "Besides do you know how annoying it was when everyone kept telling me that you liked me?"

* * *

Misao felt strangely light hearted. As if her heart was unburdened…and it was – from unrequited love. She hadn't seen Aoshi at breakfast and although she had been curious about his absence she hadn't felt anxious or upset.

Walking through the family gardens gave her peace, and time to think about where to go in her life. Soujirou had appeared in her life when she was at a crossroads. Although she didn't necessarily believe in god, she believed that some external force sent him to her. Around him she didn't feel shy or nervous – she just felt comfortable. She stopped short in mid contemplation when Aoshi appeared from behind the large pear tree. When she said nothing Aoshi spoke quietly.

"Misao."

"Aoshi." She responded in a similar tone. "I was just heading back to the house."

"I understand. You must have many things to do." He replied politely as she strode past him.

Well if he thought that one conversation would be enough then he had to work much harder at getting her to listen. How things had changed beyond reckoning he didn't understand.

Misao arranged the flowers and bouquets on the dining table for the wedding the following day. What was Aoshi doing on the estate when he should have been with Akira and the groom's party? She shrugged and considered how it was odd how subdued she was feeling considering how excited she had been for the lead up to it. Oh well, even if she wasn't the bride, or a bridesmaid for that matter, she still had first row seats to this shindig.

* * *

Kaoru let the soft silky material fall to the ground in a semi-circle around Tomoe's slim figure as she stood on the fitting stool. Although the dress had a very simple classic look, it had been difficult to achieve the smooth clean lines. Tomoe had a killer figure so she just looked exquisite. Well Kaoru thought she looked beautiful and judging by the blinded looks on everyone else's faces they thought so as well.

"Oh Kaoru…" Tomoe breathed with happiness a she looked at herself in the full length mirror "Thank you so much" her voice was full of gratitude as she hugged her.

"Well I could hardly go wrong with such a stunning model." Kaoru shrugged indifferently, trying hard not to look too pleased with herself.

Megumi watched Tomoe in reverence and turned to look at Kaoru in a new light. She originally had looked like a bit of a featherhead. A featherhead with a past. But Kaoru definitely had talent and she could see why so many people wanted her as their designer. Maybe she could get Kaoru to design her wedding dress…

After carefully hanging the dress up with its fascinator, Kaoru went downstairs with everyone for afternoon tea and a leisurely game of cards. As she reclined in the Himura sunroom Kaoru wondered what all the boys were doing. As the day before the wedding all the men had left the estate to stay at Shishio's main guesthouse. She recalled the heated kiss he'd given her just before he'd left and the whisper of wicked promises _'…as soon as we say goodbye to Tomoe and Akira, you're mine…'_. She felt her body loosen with desire in remembrance of the blatant need reflected in his amber eyes.

She would never forget tomorrow, for more than one reason.

* * *

Misao sipped her wine carefully, eyes closed to savour the sweet flavours melding together in her mouth.

"How do you like it?" Soujirou asked.

"It's really lovely" she responded shyly. "How did you know that I'd like it?"

"Well I noticed that you really like sweet drinks so I figured it would be no different with wines." He smiled.

"No one has really noticed that you know…I never really drink much wine for that reason alone." Misao wriggled her nose.

"Mmm I'm glad I actually managed to convince you to come out, because all the guys were driving me a little crazy." He grimaced.

Misao raised an eyebrow "Why? They seemed alright to me."

"Well if your dad was making moon eyes at another guy, and playing chess was the height of excitement then you wouldn't be saying that." He sighed upon realising that his comments might be perceived in a slightly homophobic manner "I mean I would still be embarrassed about my parent being lovey dovey if it was a woman as well. It's the lovey dovey that gets to me."

Misao chuckled in amusement "But it's alright for your wandering hands when your dads around?"

"Oh come on! Give me a break! You looked hot alright, and I'd had a bit of drink. So had you." He paused briefly "So. Did you want to go out-" he broke off as Misao's mobile ring tone cut his sentence short. Sliding it out Misao answered perkily "Lo Lo! No I'm not on the estate. No. Do I have to? But it sounded kinda boring and-Okay okay I'll be there in 15 minutes!" She slid her phone shut and regarded Soujirou thoughtfully. "I have to go. So I guess I'll see you at the wedding okay? And thanks for the wine!" she winked at him.

Soujirou nodded glumly and lay on his side watching Misao's slight figure slowly disappear. Turning to get up he fell back in surprise on the blanket when Aoshi emerged from behind darkened shrubbery.

"Mr Makoto."

"Mr er-"

"There is no need for you to know my name. Know only this: you don't have what Misao needs."

Recovering slightly from the sudden appearance of the rather intimidating man Soujirou replied "We're friends."

"And that's all you'll ever be." He snarled "Stay away from her."

Aoshi didn't even wait for a response, striding away anger lining the lithe movements of his body. He would get Misao back, and nobody was going to stop him.

* * *

Kaoru switched off the last light in the kitchen before heading upstairs to her bedroom. Noticing a shaft of light under Misao's bedroom door she knocked lightly before entering.

"Hey Mi Chan. How come you're not asleep?"

"I've been thinking about…stuff."

"Mmm. Aoshi?" Kaoru asked quietly watching the younger girls face.

"He's been around a lot lately. Like, he tries to talk to me. But what's the point now? I'm not a masochist. He's hurt me enough" she stated desperately.

"I know. But you have to remember that Aoshi is a very introverted individual. Not everyone is like you Misao. We're not all able to express the way we feel without fear of the consequences."

"But he knows how I feel. How I _felt_." She amended quickly.

"I know love. But sometimes it's even harder to respond to someone whose emotions are so intense. And you can be pretty intense. I'm not saying that it's your fault, but sometimes people aren't always responsive to strong overtures."

"But I tried to be less intense as well."

"I know sweety, but just because he's not responsive _now_ that doesn't mean he's not interested. Though I have to admit he's being very dense about it all." Kaoru sighed.

"I've tried everything. Before I used to get so tongue tied, and I loved to hear him talk. But now I feel nothing."

"Absolutely nothing?" Kaoru weasled.

"It's just not the way it used to be." Misao looked away.

"Well after Tomoe's wedding you won't have to see him much." Kaoru reasoned "Just tough it out until the end of the week and that'll be it."

Misao nodded and slipped further under her covers. Even though she had reasoned with herself; with her decision to change the direction of her life she felt as if her heart was slowly becoming numb with each step she took away from her first love.

* * *

Kaoru slipped out of Misao's room, shutting the door quietly only to find Tomoe leaning against the wall, and Megumi seated on the wide wooden railings.

"Hey Kao." Tomoe whispered.

"Hey – let's go into my room" she replied in a low voice and they followed her swiftly, their bare feet making no sounds on the wooden floorboards.

"So you obviously know by now that we eavesdropped on yours and Misao's conversation." Megumi informed her plopping into a single lounge.

Tomoe reclined in a double seater and faced Kaoru. "She perked up after Soujirou's appearance."

"But she's not entirely convinced that he'll be what she needs" Kaoru inserted.

"The important thing is that she still has some feelings for Ice man." Megumi commented.

"Is it?" Kaoru questioned with slight incredulity.

"Definitely. I saw him trying to approach her twice, and she brushed him off. But she seemed to be at odds with herself when she did it." Tomoe pursed her lips in thought.

Kaoru looked down at her tightly linked hands "She keeps telling me she's moving in a different direction, though she did admit that she still feels something in her heart for him."

"I think she needed this. She needed to mature a little, and he needed to see how serious she can be when she decides to do something." Tomoe had noticed the changes; despite keeping her quirky characteristics Misao had definitely become more adult.

"Yeah I have a feeling Iceman thought she'd be around forever." Megumi drawled. "I think they both needed this."

Kaoru nodded "She needed to step away for him to feel the loss and he needed the space to take a step forward. And now that we've had this DnM we all need sleep – particularly you miss bride!" she hugged Tomoe and air kissed Megumi on the cheek before shooing them out the door.

After tomorrow she could think about things. Things like how she and Kenshin were going to have a relationship past this miracle holiday.

* * *

_**The Wedding Day**_

For Kaoru the wedding morning hadn't been as hectic as she had anticipated. None of them really had to take part in the photography session with Kamatari except Megumi as the maiden of honour. For once in her experience as a bridal designer however, the bride did arrive on time. Tomoe's outfit was fairly simple which required minimal maintenance and she looked absolutely exquisite. Kaoru guessed that that the beauty could be attributed not only to Tomoe's natural aesthetics but to the emotion that made her eyes glow.

As the bridal party waited behind the large marquee set up for the wedding reception, Kaoru watched Tomoe. She wasn't nervous. She didn't fidget or glance around warily. She seemed completely at peace. Kaoru however, felt strange as if the wedding couldn't happen fast enough. She remembered what Kamatari had murmured to her once during a wedding she had been invited to, and had to attend.

_You're so much better at funerals love; just pretend there's a coffin at the front…_

She knew he had been joking but the comment had left her reeling. Was she so unfamiliar with how to act in happy situations? Kenshin hadn't said she had always seemed optimistic, never awkward or ill at ease. Of all the times she had to think about her sad life, it was during the happiest moment of someone else's. _Great_.

* * *

Kenshin wondered how the bridal party was managing. The Grooms party had managed to get ready and were all waiting patiently by the tall oak tree at the bottom of Shishios winery. He glanced back at the Marquee behind which he knew Kaoru would be standing.

"She's probably really nervous." Murmured Kamatari readjusting his camera lens.

"Mmm. I'm sure she'll be okay. Kaoru always pulls through." Though he privately wondered how she was holding up.

Kamatari made a small moue "I was talking about Tomoe."

Kenshin gave him a look and straightened as the chords of the song chosen for the bridal walk wafted from the speakers set inconspicuously within the trees branches. Kenshin recognised the song and smiled inwardly at the choice. Akira's eyes were glued to the top of the hill where Tomoe would appear; his gaze never faltering.

_You are my unsated desire; my soul belongs to you,_

_Come closer, I beseech you,_

_My heart is restless, blend into my colours,_

_Walk only with me, I beseech you_

_If you say yes, life will smile forever,_

_Laying pearls in our path…_

Megumi came walking up the aisle, and as soon as she reached her place, Tomoe glided swiftly down the grass path towards the Akira. They had eyes for no one but each other. Kenshin waited, his heart pounded relentlessly; he just needed one look from her. One glimpse into her wide sapphire gaze would be enough to calm his soul for now. Tomoe and Akira were holding hands and looking at the celebrant but still Kenshin looked for Kaoru.

Kaoru kept her eyes down as she hid behind the elegantly printed wedding program. She felt nervous and strangely excited. Looking cautiously over the top of her program she glimpsed Tomoe and Akira holding hands. Shifting her gaze to the right she found herself pinned by Kenshins amber gaze. He seemed to have been waiting for her to look at him. As soon as she felt the intensity of his eyes, she moved the program higher, cutting of his view of her face. She privately wondered why he would look at her like that. She'd seen desire there…but something else she couldn't quite put her finger on.

* * *

Sorry about the super long absence, I was moving and starting a new job, looking for a new place and everything was happening at once therefore leaving very little time for ff. Please forgive me!

As always please let me know what you think :-)

Cheers,

Iuvenalis.


	16. Chapter 16

**Strange Affliction**

**Chapter 16 – Stepping Stone**

Misao relaxed in her chair at the wedding reception with very little care. Weddings were always so much fun when you knew pretty much everyone. The dancing, the speeches, the outfits, everything was interesting and she loved it all. She only wished at some point that she would have one of her own.

"Mi Chan" Misao shifted to her right and found Kaoru handing her a piece of the wedding cake – double chocolate fudge flourless. Misao took a bite and barely refrained from drooling – _so heavenly_. With cake in hand Misao rounded the dance floor heading for the garden hoping the air outside would be less constricting. Watching the love in Akira's eyes as he danced with his wife, Misao felt a pang pf envy and immediately felt terrible. Tomoe was a lovely person and she deserved to be loved like that, she just wished she had the same luck. Or maybe it didn't have anything to do with luck? She couldn't help that with Aoshi she tried too hard. It was like silence at a table full of people; she felt compelled to fill it.

Licking the chocolate icing off her thumb, she inhaled the fresh smell of the garden. Slowly she made her way down to the siren fountain, her reflection rippled with distortion in the shimmering water. She knew what she had been doing. She had been avoiding Aoshi in an attempt to forget which, in hindsight hadn't been the most mature plan.

Aoshi followed Misao out of the ballroom and into the garden. Now the wedding was over she couldn't possibly have other things to do.

"Misao." He called her name tentatively.

He saw her shift towards the sound his voice but her back was still facing him. He moved towards her until they were standing side by side facing the fountain.

"I'm-" he began carefully.

"No. I'm sorry Aoshi." Misao inserted quietly. "I was so childish wasn't I? Expecting too much, never asking just expecting. I guess my only excuse is that I felt so much that I thought it was okay for me to try harder." She sighed "And you're quite solitude made me want to try harder. But I should have realised: that's just the way you are. And if you had wanted to tell me how you felt then you would have…I just didn't understand. But I do now." He watched as she turned toward him with a look of sadness on her face. In that moment he felt as if there was no air in his lungs. She was done with him, _done._

"Will you forgive me?" she asked sweetly.

"No."

Misao tightened her lips but waited for him to continue.

"I can't. I won't" he said stiltedly, the usually precise man struggled to find the words. Clearing his throat he started again. "What I mean to say is, I do like you." When Misao said nothing he tried again, "I-"

"I heard you." she said quietly but he could hear the underlying anger in her voice. "You _like_ me." She repeated in a low toneless voice before pivoting on her heel and striding back to the ballroom.

"Misao?" Aoshi called after her, but she didn't look back. Aoshi refused to let her go this time. Following her carefully as she expertly wove her way through the throngs of people, he caught Kenshin's eye as he swung past with Kaoru in his arms. There was a sympathetic curiosity in his eyes which stung a little.

"Aoshi just rushed by following Misao." Whispered Kenshin in Kaoru's ear. She tilted her head and watched as Aoshi's broad back disappeared through the darkened doorway of the hallway entrance.

"Should we go?" she asked.

"Kaoru, Queen of relationship High, is asking me for my humble advice?" he chuckled earning himself a glare from Kaoru who was biting her lip in apprehension. "It will be fine love." He pulled her closer "and if they don't come back in 10 minutes we'll go and find them." Kaoru lay her cheek against his and let him guide her through the slow moving couples on the dance floor.

* * *

Megumi had seen the exchange and knew they had been talking about Aoshi and Misao. Those two, it seemed, were always having trouble getting their act together.

"Hey Fox, are you going to eat that cake?" Sano asked taking the plate before she had even responded. Rolling her eyes she leaned back against his shoulder, revelling in the warmth she could feel through his jacket. Despite some small things he did to annoy her, Sano had a heart of gold. Not many people understood why she was with him, but she didn't have the time to explain why if they couldn't see it for themselves.

"Meg?" Sano asked quietly.

"Mmm." Megumi murmured.

It wasn't often that his girlfriend (or fiancé if you wanted to get technical) showed affection in public. He watched as she tilted her head back and smiled softly at him "Don't leave me okay?" she whispered.

"Why would I do that?" he smiled in response kissing her forehead.

* * *

_Between the idea_

_And the reality_

_Between the motion_

_And the act_

_Falls the Shadow_

"You were in the shadow Aoshi. What will you do now?"

"I'll fight it." He responded quietly, and wondered why he never knew that she read TS eliot.

"Why? What good is there to fight for something, _someone_ when they no longer want you."

"Is that what you're saying? That you no longer have feelings for me?" he demanded roughly.

Misao leaned against the window sill and sighed "I'm tired Aoshi. That's what I am. Tired."

"Misao Please." He managed to insert evenly, though his courage was failing fast. He'd never been in this type of situation before.

"Please?" she scoffed. "How many times did I say Please Aoshi?" she demanded "I guess that's unfair of me to say." She shook her head in resignation "I just wanted to be at peace with my decision. And now you're saying this. I need time to think." She continued looking out the window. He guessed that was the end of the discussion.

She wasn't open to discussing anything right now, but tomorrow he would be right back here. He would make her see how much he wanted her. Needed her. Besides she said she needed time to think; she didn't say he couldn't be around while she thought about it.

Kenshin tried to turn over and stopped as he felt the weight of Kaoru's body against his own. She'd wake up if he tried to move. Her hair had spilled out over his shoulder and arm. Normally she smelt like Jasmine but this time she smelt like something fresh and clean. Citrusy, but sweet and nice. Sliding her hair through his fingers her scent wafted into his nose. Oh man he loved the way she smelt. He slowly felt her body shift, her arm slid under his and splayed over his chest, as she rubbed her cheek on his shoulder blade before kissing the bare skin there.

"Good Morning"

"It is" Kenshin smiled against his pillow before turning over to encircle her in his arms.

"I wonder if Aoshi and Misao figured out what they're doing." She murmured.

"It will be okay.' Kenshin slid his hand up and down her naked spine making her shiver.

"You're only saying that because we're okay." She responded dryly.

"It's hard to be pessimistic when I feel this way. Can you blame me?"

"No. I really can't." she said happily as his arms tightened around her.

* * *

Kamatari quietly stole into the house. _Stealth, stealth stealth_ he chanted looking towards the kitchen where he assumed everyone would be eating breakfast. Reaching out to grasp the staircases banister he stopped when instead of feeling smooth cool wood he felt a very human and warm hand. Snatching his hand back he let out a sigh.

"Kaoru." He sagged with relief.

"Kamatari," she replied shortly raising an eyebrow at his hastily clad appearance. He smiled at her lopsidedly.

"What's shaking?"

"I'm assuming you're now going to avoid telling me where you were." She observed. "But you know what – that's fine. You're a grown man and you have your own life to live. I shouldn't be asking questions." She nodded with a serene look on her face.

Kamatari refrained from frowning and wondered what miraculous event had occurred in his absence to make Kaoru so mellow regarding his whereabouts.

"Well. Alright then." He responded "I'll be in my room." He added before languidly climbing up the stairs and greeting Kenshin on the way.

Kenshin strolled down the stairs to find Kaoru standing at the bottom with a blank look on her face before she continued down the stairs towards the kitchen with the elegant gait he had come to love.

He wondered how his life would be now had he not met her. Looking into her sparkling blue eyes, he just couldn't imagine it any other way.

* * *

Aoshi watched the sun rise slowly. He looked into the creased palm of his hand and imagined what Misaos small hand within his would feel like. Today was the beginning. He would win. Yes he would…

* * *

I haven't been able to really progress past what I've written here for this chapter, so after much deliberation I posted it anyway. I'm in the process of writing a sequel called "Veiled Cadence" which mainly features Misao and Aoshi with KK and MS as support.

Thank you all for reviewing - I really appreciate it!

Cheers,

Iuvenalis.


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